Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: a12b2f8d-d334-4fb6-8a51-8bf551a23833
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Surveillance Program for New Fuel Assembly Designs
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1335/ML13350A277.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.119
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
within safet*ýliiftte and that limiting conditions of operation will be met. Th isýZjtd4e describes a surveillance program acceptable to the NRC staf•' ,r etýrmining the per- formance of new fuel assembly designs.* The pr m include postirra- diation destructive examination if deemed ni-'tia r This guide applies only to those light-water-cooled fuel asseysgs Thencorporating new design features that have been deemed significa deed ea NRC staff. B. D ýCUSS ..N The basic objective of ftl assembly designs for light-water-cooled reactors is to provide an arra of fissionable material that has high structural integrity and is cap '"of transferring fission-generated heat to a circulating coolant while containing fission products and fuel material over the des* lifetime. Fuel assemblies of current design are made up of fuel rod a, sting of cylindrical U02 fuel pellets stacked end to end in thin- 'bes of zircalcv. The fundamental design basis is that t eli sembly maintain it< structural integrity for heatup, cooldo , s down, and power operat.!.onb including the most .adverse seto era ng conditions expected throughout its lifetime. Some e phenomena that may possibly affect the integrity of the fuel rod are0 rmal cycling, fission gas release to rod plenums, densi- fication, cracking and ratcheting of the fuel pellet, pellet-clad mechan- ical interaction, and corrosion- or radiation-induced changes in the USNRC REGULATORY GUIDES Comments should be sent to the Secretary o' the Commistion, U.S Nuclear Regulatory Ceommissiton, Was~hington, D C M56•. Attention Dockelimg and Regulatory Guides are issued to describe end make available to the public Seatrvce Section methods acceptable to the NRC staff of implementing specific parts of the Commission's regulations, to delineate techniques used by the stiff in evatu The guldes are issued in the following tn broad divisions sting specific problems or postulated acctdents. or to provide guidance to appht &ntsi. Regulatory Guides ate