Modeling Temperature Distributions in a Nuclear Fuel Rod With the Integral Technique

There is a large amount of research in the modeling of nuclear reactor fuel rods for various parameters amongst which the temperature is high on the list, reason being the critical temperature limit above which control of geometry will be lost as a meltdown or a partial meltdown may occur. Much of this research involves complex numerical models that are of little help especially to students learning the basics of nuclear engineering and heat transfer. This paper will explore the possibility of utilizing the integral technique for such modeling. The advantage of the technique is its simplicity which comes at the cost of some accuracy. An example is given here for a simplified cross-sectional geometry to illustrate how this modeling is done, and why it may be a superior technique to at least introduce students to the concept, but which may have applications to research in the field as well.