A preliminary study on the blistering behavior of dispersion plate-type fuel assembly

The dispersion plate fuel assembly, owing to its favorable characteristics of low temperature gradient, high stability, and excellent thermal conductivity, has become a focal point in the research of novel high-performance fuel elements. However, the current literature lacks a comprehensive understanding of the fuel plate's performance, particularly with regard to the bubbling phenomenon in the fuel plate cladding. In this study, we have implemented a fission gas release model, building upon previous analyses of fuel plate performance under steady-state operation. By comparing our calculation results with the Forsberg-Massih model, we find a close correspondence in trends, thereby validating the accuracy of our computational approach. Furthermore, we utilize the upgraded FROBA-PLATEs code to predict the blistering behavior of fuel plates under specific quasi-steady-state conditions. Our results demonstrate that the occurrence position and threshold temperature of blistering in the fuel assembly can be precisely predicted using this approach.