WPRS Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance (EGRFP)

Scope

Under the guidance of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) the expert group will perform specific tasks associated with fuel performance aspects of present and future nuclear power systems. Reactor types considered include, but are not limited to, the following:

present generation LWRs and HWRs with advanced and innovative fuels, evolutionary and innovative LWRs and HWRs;
high-temperature gas reactors (HTGRs);
fast spectrum systems and other advanced reactor systems;
accelerator driven-systems (ADS) and critical systems for waste transmutation.

Objectives

To provide expert advice to the WPRS and the nuclear community on the development needs (data and methods, validation experiments, scenario studies) for existing and proposed fuel designs. A key activity associated with this objective is the identification and preservation of appropriate experimental data, in order to provide specific technical information regarding:

the status of national and international programmes including experimental capability;
the provision of experimental data for model development and validation of the International Fuel Performance Experiments (IFPE) Database;
methods for code verification.

This technical information will generally be derived from a combination of direct experimental evidence and/or the results of theoretical benchmark analyses using accurate, validated modelling methods. In either case the availability of suitable experimental data is a fundamental requirement. A key objective of the group will therefore be to help identify, evaluate and preserve this type of experimental data. In this context the expert group will monitor, steer and support the continued development of the International Fuel Performance Experiments (IFPE) Database. To facilitate the dissemination of technical information and knowledge through activities such as workshops, benchmark studies and training activities.