ML23018A050
| ML23018A050 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 01/24/2023 |
| From: | NRC/OCM |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22293A420 | List: |
| References | |
| M230124 | |
| Download: ML23018A050 (9) | |
Text
Commission Briefing:
Overview of Accident Tolerant Fuel Activities William McCaughey Director of Advanced Fuels Technologies Office of Nuclear Energy January 24, 2023
Agenda
- Program Participants
- Framing the Program
- Department of Energy Support to Industry
- Loss of Coolant Accident Test Plan
- Summary 2
Communications and Coordination are Key 3
Fuel Vendors National Laboratories Nuclear Energy Institute Electric Power Research Institute U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Universities International Collaborators
Framing the Program
- Near-Term Concepts
- Coated Cladding
- Doped UO2
- Long-Term Concepts
- Iron-Chrome-Aluminum Cladding
- Silicon Carbide Cladding
- High Uranium Density Fuel
- Uranium Enrichment 4
High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium Current LWR Fuel ATF Fuel at High Burnup Advanced Reactor Fuel 0% < E <= 5%
5% < E <= 10%
10% < E < 20%
Test Facilities
- Advanced Test Reactor (INL)
- High Flux Isotope Reactor (ORNL)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor
- Severe Accident Test Station (ORNL)
INL - Idaho National Laboratory ORNL - Oak Ridge National Laboratory 5
Shipping and Post-Irradiation Examination
- Irradiated test rods are shipped from commercial reactors to the national laboratories.
- The first two shipments were made in 2020 and 2021.
- Three shipments are planned for 2023 and 2024.
- Post-irradiation examination (PIE) is performed at Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
- DOE is preparing a national shipping and PIE plan in order to make future shipping campaigns routine and coordinate PIE among the national labs.
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Reirradiation of commercial HBU fuel segments in ATR TREAT-LOC-C Fresh Fuel, In-Pile LOCA Commissioning 2026 2023 2024 2025 TREAT LOCA Device Design, Fabrication, and Testing 2027 Burnups from 65-85 GWd/t Rod length and rod free volume effects Tieback testing to Halden/SCIP DEH and SEH heating conditions TREAT-LOC-HBu and SATS-HBu Phase II Loss of Coolant Accident Test Plan Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) test plan developed to address broad stakeholder needs Leverages the best PIE capabilities in the country Address cross-cutting stakeholder needs Test matrix tailored to large break LOCA conditions Experimental evaluation of identified R&D gaps in fuel fabrication, relocation and dispersal First of a kind approach using both in-pile and hot cell testing facilities Novel in-situ instrumentation 7
Severe Accident Test Station TREAT TWIST LOCA Device 3 years, ~9 experiments/each facility 9 experiments
Summary
- Communications and close coordination are key to program success.
- The current focus is on coated cladding and doped UO2 for near-term deployment.
- Enrichment levels to achieve higher burnup for ATF can be obtained without government assistance.
- DOE supports industrys needs with its unique test facilities and state-of-the-art examination facilities.
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