ML23018A050

M230124: Slides/Supporting Presentation Material - B. Mccaughey - Overview of Accident Tolerant Fuel Activities

ML23018A050
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Issue date:	01/24/2023
From:	NRC/OCM
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ML22293A420	List: ML23018A049 ML23018A050 ML23018A051 ML23018A052 ML23018A053 ML23018A054 ML23018A055 ML23026A288
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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 Fuel Vendors National Laboratories Nuclear Energy Institute Electric Power Research Institute U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Universities International Collaborators 3

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 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%

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Test Facilities

• Advanced Test Reactor (INL)

• High Flux Isotope Reactor (ORNL)

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor

• Transient Reactor Test Facility (INL)

• 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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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 Severe Accident Test Station

• First of a kind approach using both in-pile and hot cell testing facilities

• Novel in-situ instrumentation 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 9 experiments TREAT LOCA Device Design, TREAT-LOC-C Fresh Fuel, Fabrication, and Testing In-Pile LOCA Commissioning 3 years, ~9 experiments/each facility TREAT-LOC-HBu and SATS-HBu Phase II

• Tieback testing to Halden/SCIP

• Burnups from 65-85 GWd/t

• DEH and SEH heating conditions

• Rod length and rod free volume effects Reirradiation of commercial HBU fuel segments in ATR TREAT TWIST LOCA Device 7

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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