Development of Instrumented Fuel Pin Testing in the BR2 Reactor for the P2M Project

Since the start of the Belgian Reactor 2 (BR2) reactor in the 1960 s, fuel performance experiments have been carried out under standard and off-normal conditions with dedicated irradiation rigs. One of these test rigs is the PWC (pressurized water capsule), which can be used for fuel transient testing. This PWC irradiation rig was recently modified and adapted to allow for instrumented fuel pin testing. One of the key components that was successfully developed and tested is the so-called instrumentation plug, that allows the leak-tight feedthrough of three signal cables. Furthermore, a series of tests and exercises was carried out with a dummy fuel pin, showing that an instrumented fuel pin could be mounted in the newly developed PWC rig in a hot cell environment using tele-manipulators. One of the first applications is the testing of instrumented fuel pins up to incipient melting in the framework of the P2M-project (power-to-melt and maneuverability), which is a joint undertaking of SCK CEN with CEA and EDF. In this project, EDF provided a pre-irradiated fuel pin, CEA equipped the fuel pin with a centerline thermocouple and a pressure sensor, and SCK CEN is carrying out the irradiation test in the PWC rig of BR2.