LORELEI: A future Test Device for LOCA Experiments in the JHR

Abstract

International audienceThe Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR) is a high performance Material Testing Reactor (MTR) under construction in southern France (CEA Cadarache). JHR will host a set of fuel and material test facilities for the nuclear industry or other organizations. In the safety studies domain, the LORELEI (Light water One Rod Equipment for LOCA Experimental Investigations) test device is dedicated to the study of the thermal-mechanical behavior of a fuel rod and quantification of Fission Product (FP) and fissile material releases under Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) type conditions. LORELEI will allow investigating ballooning and burst of the fuel cladding, clad corrosion phenomena (oxidation and hydriding), post quench behavior and FP release (for that aim, the device will be connected with water and gas sampling lines to the Fission Product Laboratory of the JHR). After a quick description of the JHR, this paper presents the main objectives of the LORELEI test device, its main technical characteristics and its experimental protocol