NEA Mandates and Structures


Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance

Chair(s): Glyn ROSSITER, United Kingdom
Secretary:  Ian HILL
(ian.hill@oecd-nea.org)
Member(s):All NEA member countries*
Russia (Suspended*)
*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council.
Full participant(s): European Commission
Under the NEA Statute
Observer(s)(International Organisation): International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
By agreement
Date of creation:30 June 2011
End of mandate:29 June 2021

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Summary Record of the 22nd meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee held on 15-17 June 2011 [NEA/SEN/NSC(2011)3]
  • Summary Record of the 9th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems held on 17 February 2012 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPRS(2012)7]
  • Summary Record of the 10th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems held on 22 February 2013 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPRS(2013)2]
  • Summary Record of the 11th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems held on 21 February 2014 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPRS(2014)2]
  • Summary Record of the 12th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems held on 20 February 2015 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPRS(2015)2]
  • Summary Record of the 14th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems held on 16 February 2017 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPRS(2017)2]
  • Draft Summary Record of the 16th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems held on 22 February 2019 [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2019)5/PROV]
  • Mandate of the Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance [NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2019)13] 

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document NEA/NSC/WPRS/DOC(2019)13

Mandate

Scope

Under the guidance of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS), the Expert Group will perform specific tasks associated with fuel performance aspects of present and future nuclear power systems, with a focus on normal operating conditions. Reactor types considered include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • present generation light-water reactors (LWRs) and heavy-water reactors (HWRs) with advanced and innovative fuels, evolutionary and innovative LWRs and HWRs;
  • high-temperature gas reactors (HTRs);
  • fast-spectrum systems and other advanced reactor systems;
  • accelerator-driven (sub-critical) and critical systems for waste transmutation.

Focus is on LWRs for modelling, all systems for inclusion of data within the International Fuel Performance Experiments (IFPE) database.

Objectives:

  1. To provide expert advice to the WPRS and the nuclear community on fuel performance and associated development needs (data and methods, validation experiments, scenario studies) for existing and proposed reactor designs. A key activity associated with this objective is the identification and preservation of appropriate experimental data.
  2. To provide specific technical information regarding:
  • the status of national and international programmes including experimental capability;
  • the provision of experimental data for model development and validation from the IFPE database;
  • methods for code verification and validation.

This technical information will generally be derived from a combination of direct experimental evidence and/or the results of theoretical benchmark analyses using accurate, validated modelling methods. In either case, the availability of suitable experimental data is a fundamental requirement. A key objective of the group will therefore be to help identify, evaluate and preserve this type of experimental data. In this context, the Expert Group will monitor, steer and support the continued development of the IFPE database.

3. To facilitate the dissemination of technical information and knowledge through activities such as workshops, benchmark studies and training activities.

Relationships with other NEA bodies and international projects

The Expert Group will establish links with other bodies working in the area of fuel performance. In particular, the Expert Group will liaise closely with the CSNI Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS), the NSC Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC), the NSC Working Party on Multi-scale Modelling (WPMM), the NSC Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs (EGATFL), the Expert Group on Innovative Fuels (EGIF), the Expert Group on Multi-Physics, Experimental Data, Benchmarking and validation (EGMPEBV) and the WPRS Expert Group on Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling (EGUAM). The Expert Group will also establish links with other international activities that are complementary to the work of the EGRFP, including the Halden Reactor Project and the IAEA Technical Working Group on Fuel Performance and Technology (TWGFPT).

Deliverables:

  • Report on experimental data requirements for LWR fuel modelling;

    • Review of data requirements for fuel performance modelling;
    • Review of types of experimental data that can address fuel performance requirements and where they can be obtained from: 
      • discussion of data gaps;
      • discussion on quantification of data uncertainties and why this is important for fuel performance modelling;
    • Recommendations for further development of NEA's IFPE database;
    • Update to 1995 NEA report by J. A. Turnbull: Review of nuclear fuel experimental data;
  • Review of IFPE database structure, including practicality of preserving raw experimental data, for development of database structure with consideration of appropriate review processes; , and steer the development of the DATabase for IFPE (DATIF).
  • Final Report on Pellet Clad Mechanical Interaction (PCMI) benchmark.
  • Update IFPE with data from the PCMI report.
  • Survey of future fuel performance activities and participant interest. Further deliverables to be upon completion of survey.
  • Provide IFPE data for IAEA fuel modelling in accident conditions (FUMAC) Co-ordinated Project (CRP) and incorporate feedback (e.g. corrections, new data requirements, experimental data) into the IFPE database.

Meeting frequency:

Once per year for plenary meetings, with additional meetings in support of particular activities (e.g. FUMAC, PCMI benchmark).