armi.physics.fuelPerformance package
Generic fuel performance plugin package.
Fuel performance deals with addressing fuel system limits and predicting behaviors that are coupled to other physics within the reactor. Often fuel performance models address chemical, thermal and mechanical behaviors of the fuel system.
The following general phenomena fall into the fuel performance category of physics for solid fuel (e.g., SFR, LWR, TRISO):
chemical degradation on the inside of fuel cladding such as fuel-clad chemical interaction (FCCI)
corrosion or erosion processes on the outside of the fuel cladding
the fuel-clad mechanical interaction (FCMI) resulting in cladding stress and strain
pressurization of the fuel pin due to released fission gases
high temperatures of the fuel which affect material properties and feedback during accident scenarios
Fuel performance is typically coupled with thermal analysis because the thermal conditions of the fuel affects the performance and properties of the fuel change with temperature and burnup.
In many cases, fuel performance is coupled with neutronic analysis as well, because the fission gases are strong neutron absorbers. In some reactors, significant composition changes during irradiation can influence neutronics as well (e.g. sodium thermal bond being squeezed out of pins). Finally, fuel temperatures impact the Doppler reactivity coefficient.