VAK III Sealing System for LWR Fuel Assemblies - Long Term Results Obtained by JRC-ISPRA AFter the Last Verification Campaign at the KAHL Facility (FRG) in February 1986

Year
1986
Author(s)
B. C. d'Agraives - Commission of the European Communities - Joint Research Ontre
E. Mascetti - Commission of the European Communities - Joint Research Centre
G. Dal Cero - Commission of the European Communities, Joint Research Centre
A. Volcan - Commission of the European Communities, Joint Research Centre
Abstract
The VAK III system uses ultrasonic in situ verifiable seals aimed at the safeguarding of LWR fuel assemblies. Developed at JRC-Ispra, it has been field tested on BWR fuel assemblies for several years at the VAK reactor of Kahl (FRG), where the last demonstration campaign took place in February 1986, prior to decommissioning the plant. In completion of this long term experiment, all VAK III seals have been successfully reidentified in actual conditions, after irradiation periods of 18, 24 and 30 months. Some of them, along with older prototypes, were also pulled off and the corresponding breaking forces measured; indicating that irradiation has a limited effect on the traction magnitude.