Reactivity Initiated Accident transient testing on irradiated fuel rods in PWR conditions: the CABRI International Program CIP

The CABRI International Program (CIP) tests irradiated UO2 or MOX fuels submitted to Reactivity Initiated Accidents representative power pulses in prototypical PWR thermal-hydraulic conditions. CIP is managed by The Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) within a OECD/NEA framework. Experiences are conducted in the CABRI reactor operated by CEA. For CIP, CABRI benefits from a new Pressurized Water Loop. An important refurbishment program enhanced the facility safety and upgraded the experimental equipment such as the non-destructive examination bench IRIS and the Hodoscope on-line fuel motion monitoring system. Specific test devices with appropriate innovative instrumentation follow the test rod behavior during the transient. The successful first test in the Water Loop demonstrated the CABRI capability to perform fully instrumented RIA tests in PWR conditions and to provide highly valuable technical results for modelling the RIA phenomenology (boiling crisis, post-failure events), for code validation, and for assessing PWR safety criteria.