Industry and INL Collaborate to Test Advanced HALEU-based TRISO Fuel Variants

Advancing Nuclear Fuel Fabrication

The successful deployment of advanced nuclear reactors relies heavily on the development and qualification of specialized nuclear fuels. Recognizing this, industry leaders and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) are collaborating to test new varieties of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU)-based TRISO fuel. TRISO (tristructural isotropic) fuel particles consist of uranium enriched to more than 5% but less than 20% U-235, placing them firmly in the HALEU category.

Testing Advanced Fuel Variants in the ATR

The collaborative effort involves prominent nuclear companies, including X-energy, BWX Technologies (BWXT), and Radiant Industries. These entities are working closely with INL to irradiate and test new TRISO fuel variations in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). The specific variants under examination include uranium nitride, pebble, and annular forms. The data generated from these rigorous ATR tests will be instrumental in qualifying these HALEU-based TRISO fuels for their respective high-temperature gas reactors and small modular reactors.

Scaling Manufacturing for Defense and Commercial Use

BWX Technologies is playing a pivotal role in scaling TRISO manufacturing. Building on its success in winning the Department of Defense's Project Pele contract in 2019 to develop a portable nuclear reactor, BWXT is actively expanding its TRISO fuel manufacturing line capacity.

This scale-up builds upon the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program, a collaboration between BWXT, DOE, INL, and ORNL that began in 2002 and successfully advanced TRISO fuel manufacturing from lab-scale to production-scale using HALEU.

This continuous innovation in fuel fabrication ensures that the HALEU supply chain is matched by robust, qualified fuel forms capable of withstanding the extreme conditions of next-generation reactors. The collaboration between INL and private industry remains the cornerstone of US fuel qualification efforts.

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