Metallurgical Challenges of Fuel Channels
Mar 7th, 2018
The days are finally starting to get longer, with the sun setting a little bit later each night. Spring is (hopefully) right around the corner, but as we wait for the snow to melt, why don’t you join us for our next ASM Ontario event? You’ll learn about the CANDU design of nuclear power plants as well as some of the CANDONTS’ they overcame along the way!
Join us for our March event, where Glen McDougall from CNSC (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) will speak about the metallurgical challenges of fuel channels in the CANDU reactor design. If you want to learn more on Canadian Nuclear Power or how to overcome design challenges in a real work environment this is the talk for you!
CANDU Fuel Channels: The Art of Design Meets the Science of Metallurgy
A unique feature of the CANDU reactor is its use of fuel channels – the pressure-boundary designed to contain and protect the fuel. After 55 years, this element of the CANDU design has been one its biggest success stories. This talk will include an overview of the design of CANDUs and the fuel channel, then focus on the many metallurgical (and other) challenges associated with three key components:
- The pressure tube;
- The end fitting;
- The annulus spacer.
Along the way, we’ll see how earlier challenges were addressed, and how the design and operation of these components has evolved to ensure safe fuel channel operation in one of the most hostile operating environments.