Linear heat generation rate for breaking plastic strain limit of cladding in a BWR fuel rod type

The results show that for burn up between 0 and 16,000 MWd/tU there is 160.8 W/cm as minimum margin between LHGR peak for maximum operation (439.6 W/cm) and LHGR calculated to reach 1.1% of circumferential plastic cladding strain, considering a factor peaking power of 1.40. For a burn up of 20,000 MWd/tU and 60,000 MWd/tU there are margins of 150.3 and 298.6 W/cm, respectively. The calculations are carried out with codes FEMAXI-VI and RODBURN.