Similar to many existing Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR), the AP1000® cores will undergo sub-cooled nucleate boiling in the upper grid spans of some fuel assemblies at normal operating conditions. Sub-cooled nucleate boiling may increase crud deposits on the fuel cladding surface which may increase the risk of Crud Induced Power Shift (CIPS) and/or Crud Induced Localized Corrosion (CILC). A CIPS/CILC risk assessment has been performed to support the AP1000 fuel assembly design finalization.
In this paper, the advanced thermal-hydraulic (TH) methodology used in the AP1000 plant CIPS/CILC risk assessments are summarized and discussed, and the relationship between the CIPS/CILC mechanisms, fuel reliability, and plant operating conditions is also presented. Finally, acceptable AP1000 core CIPS/CILC risk assessment results are summarized and suggestions that specifically target reducing CIPS/CILC risks for AP1000 plants are described.
