Abstract
This article presents an analysis of thermal state of a fuel element of the WCTC-LEU of the IVG.1M reactor implemented for a case when a fuel matrix is separated from the fuel cladding along a short side of the blade. Technology of a fuel element manufacture for the modernized core considers presence of non-uniformity in microstructure. To evaluate how separations of a typical size affects the thermal mode of fuel element operation, temperature fields in cross-sections of the fuel element have been calculated. Thermophysical calculations were conducted using the finite element method with ANSYS program complex. Based on the variants calculation, it was obtained data on the effect of the separation on temperature field distribution of the fuel element during the IVG.1M reactor running at design and nominal power.