Property Test and Behavior Evaluation of Fuel Plate of China Advanced Research Reactor

The paper concerns in fuel property test results and fuel behavior evaluation. The heat property measurement of 6061Al-alloy cladding material and U_3Si_2-Al fuel meat with uranium density 4.3 g/cm3, cladding material corrosion test, fuel plates mechanical performance test, hot cycle and irradiation test of the mini fuel plates were carried out. The test results show that fuel plates are not damaged and fission products do not leak when the temperature is raised to the blister temperature( 550 ℃). Defects and cracks in fuel meat do not appear, and the metallurgical bonds are good between cladding and meat and between fuel particles and Al-matrix when the temperature up to 400 ℃. Distortion of fuel plates do not appear when the temperature is up to 250 ℃. No distortion and defect of fuel plates appear when the heat flux with density is under 4.0 MW/m2, the meat maximum temperature is 230 ℃, and the burn-up is 71.8%. The swelling is less than 2%. The fuel and cladding are safe under CARR operation condition.