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Pulse irradiation tests on short fuel elements have been carried out in TRIGA Annular Core Pulse Reactor (TRIGA ACPR) of INR Pitesti to investigate aspects related to the thermal and mechanical behavior of CANDU type fuel elements under short duration and large amplitude power pulse conditions. Short test fuel elements were instrumented with thermocouples for cladding surface temperature measurements and pressure sensors for element internal pressure measurement. Transient histories of reactor power, cooling water pressure, fuel element internal pressure and cladding temperature were recorded during tests. The fuel elements were subjected to total energy deposition from 70 to 280 cal g–1 UO2. Rapid fuel pellet expansion due to a power excursion caused radial and longitudinal deformation of the cladding. Cladding failure mechanism and the failure threshold have been established. This paper presents some recent results obtained from these power pulse tests performed in TRIGA ACPR of INR Pitesti.