SMRS & ADVANCED REACTORS | HALEU PACKAGING transport options Orano’s HALEU The shift toward higher enrichment fuels such as LEU+ and HALEU for


advanced reactors is driving new technical and regulatory challenges in nuclear fuel transport. The packaging and logistics arm of Orano is developing adaptable solutions to meet the changing requirements of the fuel cycle.


By Jackie Costas


MUCH OF THE OPTIMISM SURROUNDING the future of nuclear energy hinges on the successful deployment of next-generation Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and advanced reactors. Unlike the current generation of light water reactors that use Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) typically at 2–4% 235


U enrichment but up to a maximum


4.95%, many of these innovative designs will require High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), enriched up to almost 20%. Realising this vision will thus depend on developing new, specialised transportation technologies to move this higher-enriched fuel safely and efficiently. While the regulatory framework and transport mechanisms for nuclear materials are well established and have been in use for decades, the scale and diversity of upcoming HALEU fuel shipments will present new logistical challenges. In contrast with the bulk of the large reactors operating today, which rely on just two standardised fuel types, the wide variety of reactor technologies emerging in the advanced nuclear space brings an associated diversity of fuel types. Tailored transport solutions are therefore required to support the commercial deployment of this new generation of reactors.


Below: The new 30B-X cylinder has been developed for transportation of HALEU and are used with the DN30-X overpack system


Complex fuel forms demand flexible thinking There are two main challenges ahead. First, adapting transport equipment and packages to whichever


advanced reactor technologies prove successful, despite current uncertainty about which designs will dominate and when production will scale-up. Efficient, cost-effective packaging will be essential once these technologies are established. Secondly, planning for the management and handling of used nuclear fuel (UNF), which will become a pressing issue within the next 10 to 20 years – soon in industry terms. Orano, which has been engaging with advanced


reactor developers early in their design process to understand future transport needs, is clear that HALEU transport solutions are already in place. Today their packages transport small volumes of HALEU for research reactors. However, to prepare for the emerging commercial HALEU market will require new packaging solutions and, recognising early-on the need for commercial-scale HALEU transport, the company invested in the development of new packages and cylinders for industrial quantities. Jay Thomas, Director of Transportation at Orano TN explains: “There really aren’t any specific requirements for HALEU that aren’t already out there. There’s been a tremendous amount of experience shipping HALEU materials for many years in much smaller quantities, because that’s all there was a need for. Going forward, in the next five, six years with the new advanced reactors and new fuels, the challenge will be to ship larger volumes to meet the commercial supply. But as far as the regulations that are in place, the transport mechanisms that are in place, there really isn’t much difference”. Nonetheless, while existing transport


packages such as drums, cylinders, and boxes are available, modifications and potentially a new licensing process may be necessary to accommodate these novel fuel forms. In developing a package design strategy, the business aims for maximum flexibility by developing just a few robust designs that can accommodate or be adapted for a wide range of fuels, avoiding the need for a unique package for each of the 90-plus


reactor designs currently in development. It’s a strategy designed to support multiple


stages of the fuel cycle with specialised packaging. For uranium hexafluoride (UF6


for example, the company has designed 6 | July 2025 | www.neimagazine.com ),


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