ML21140A413

Advanced Reactors GEIS Docs - Triso Particles: the Most Robust Nuclear Fuel on Earth (DOE 2019)

ML21140A413
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Issue date:	05/20/2021
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From: Dozier, Tami Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2021 4:34 PM To: AdvancedReactors-GEISDocsPEm Resource

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TRISO Particles: The Most Robust Nuclear Fuel on Earth (DOE 2019)

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TRISO Particles: The Most Robust Nuclear Fuel on Earth (DOE 2019)

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TRISO Particles: The Most Robust Nuclear Fuel on Earth l Department of Energy Office of Energy.gov Offices National Labs Search Energy.gov NUCLEAR ENERGY ne Home About Reactor Technologies Us Reactor Technologies Reactor Technologies Home Light Water Reactors Advanced Reactors Office of Nuclear Advanced Energy Reactor Demonstration Program Versatile Test Reactor Small Modular Reactors TRISO Particles: The Most Initiatives Initiatives Initiatives Home Robust Nuclear Fuel on Fuel Cycle Technologies Fuel Cycle Technologies Earth Fuel Cycle Technologies Home Fuel Cycle Research & Development Nuclear Fuels Storage & Transportation Planning Project Systems Engineering and Integration JULY 9, Uranium 2019 Management and Policy Used Fuel Disposition Research & Development International Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation International Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation Home >> TRISO Particles: The Most Robust Nuclear International Fuel on Earth Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation Home Bilateral Cooperation Multilateral Cooperation International Commercial Activities Nuclear Facility Operations Nuclear Facility Operations Nuclear Facility Operations Home Idaho Operations Office Facilities Management Resumption of Transient Testing Advanced Modeling & Simulation Advanced Modeling & Simulation Advanced Modeling & Simulation Home Predictive Simulation Nuclear Fuels Advanced Nuclear Reactors Nuclear Energy University Program Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Home Mission TRISO particles cannot melt in a reactorBenefits and can withstand extreme temperatures well beyond the threshold of current nuclear Crosscutting fuels. Technology Development https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/triso-particles-most-robust-nuclear-fuel-earth[11/30/2020 2:17:51 PM]

TRISO Particles: The Most Robust Nuclear Fuel on Earth l Department of Energy Reactor Materials Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation Proliferation and Terrorism Risk Assessment Theres a lot of buzz around advanced nuclear.

Advanced Methods for Manufacturing Space Power Systems These technologies are going to completely Space Power Systems change the way we think Space Power Systems Home about nuclear reactors. Space Nuclear Mission History Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition More than 70 projects are underway Tribalin Working the United States with new Group Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear designs that are expected to be more economical to build and operate.

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Funding Opportunities Some of them will require a new fuel NICEthats Futuretough enough handle the higher operating temperatures Information of these advanced Resourcesreactors.

Information Resources Information Resources Home Enter TRISO fuelthe most robustMultimedia nuclear fuel on earth.

Resources Newsletter STEM Resources What is TRISO Fuel? Document Library Careers Events TRISO stands for TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel.

Each TRISO particle is made up of a uranium, carbon and oxygen fuel kernel. The kernel is encapsulated Search Energy.Gov by three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials that prevent the release of radioactive fission products. Search The particles are incredibly small (about the size of a poppy seed) and very robust.

They can be fabricated into cylindrical pellets or billiard ball-sized spheres called pebbles for use in either high temperature gas or molten salt-cooled reactors.

TRISO fuels are structurally more resistant to neutron irradiation, corrosion, oxidation and high temperatures (the factors that most impact fuel performance) than traditional reactor fuels.

Each particle acts as its own containment system thanks to its triple-coated layers. This allows them to retain fission products under all reactor conditions.

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/triso-particles-most-robust-nuclear-fuel-earth[11/30/2020 2:17:51 PM]

TRISO Particles: The Most Robust Nuclear Fuel on Earth l Department of Energy Simply put, TRISO particles cannot melt in a reactor and can withstand extreme temperatures that are well beyond the threshold of current nuclear fuels.

Robust TRISO Fuel Research TRISO fuel was first developed in the United States and United Kingdom in the 1960s with uranium dioxide fuel. In 2002, the Department of Energy (DOE) focused on improving TRISO fuel using uranium oxycarbide fuel kernels and enhancing its irradiation performance and manufacturing methods in order to further develop advanced high-temperature gas reactors.

In 2009, this improved TRISO fuel set an international record by achieving a 19% maximum burnup during a three-year test at Idaho https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/triso-particles-most-robust-nuclear-fuel-earth[11/30/2020 2:17:51 PM]

TRISO Particles: The Most Robust Nuclear Fuel on Earth l Department of Energy National Laboratory (INL). This is nearly double the previous mark set by the Germans in the 1980s and is three times the burnup that current light-water fuels can achievedemonstrating its long-life capability.

The irradiated fuel was then exposed to more than 300 hours0.00347 days <br />0.0833 hours <br />4.960317e-4 weeks <br />1.1415e-4 months <br /> of testing at temperatures up to 1800° Celsius (more than 3,000° Fahrenheit). These tests exceeded the predicted worst-case accident conditions for high-temperature gas reactors and showed no to minimal damage of the particles with full fission product retention.

Continued TRISO fuel qualification testing is currently underway at INL. With support from DOE, the Electric Power Research Institute worked with INL and industry stakeholders to submit a licensing topical report to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for official review. Future test results will be submitted to the NRC for licensing TRISO fuel and reactor vendors.

What's Next?

TRISO fuel testing is gaining a lot of interest from the advanced reactor community. Some reactor vendors such as X-energy and Kairos Power, along with the Department of Defense, are planning to use TRISO fuel for their designsincluding some small modular and micro-reactor concepts.

DOE is also supporting X-energys efforts to design and submit a NRC license application for a new fabrication facility. The project would ultimately use high assay low enriched uranium to produce the TRISO fuel pellets and pebbles for future high-temperature gas and molten salt reactors.

Learn More https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/triso-particles-most-robust-nuclear-fuel-earth[11/30/2020 2:17:51 PM]

TRISO Particles: The Most Robust Nuclear Fuel on Earth l Department of Energy TRISO fuel research is supported through the Office of Nuclear Energys Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) program. ART sponsors collaborative efforts with universities and industry partners to accelerate research on various advanced reactor designs.

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