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were irradiated for more than 700 hours at a maximum temperature of 1600°C. This is a temperature which could occur in the event of a violation of normal operating conditions of the HTGR reactor. Based on the test results, it was confirmed that the multilayer protective coating of the spherical fuel core of HTGR fuel TRISO (TRI-structural ISOtropic) particle fuel, reliably retains the gaseous products formed during the fission of nuclear fuel, even under conditions of prolonged irradiation at temperatures of approximately 500°C above the parameters of normal operation of the reactor. Such reactor experiments are an integral element of the development, determination of operational limits and licensing of nuclear fuel. It was previously reported that, by the end of 2023, at the experimental site of the Rosatom Scientific Division, reactor tests of laboratory samples of HTGR fuel were successfully completed at a temperature of 1000-1200°C, achieving burn-up corresponding to the design values for the operation of HTGR fuel. “Reactor tests at temperatures of 1600°C,


carried out by NIIAR specialists in 2024 as part of the comprehensive programme of computational and experimental testing of HTGR fuel we are implementing, complement the previously obtained results of irradiating HTGR fuel samples to design burn-up values,” noted Andrey Mokrushin, head of the work to develop HTGR fuel and Deputy General Director for Science of JSC Research Institute NPO LUCH. “They confirm the performance of the developed fuel design in case of disruption of normal operation and allow us to form a reasonable understanding of the design limits of HTGR fuel operation in order to ensure the safe operation of the HTGR reactor.” In 2025, Rosatom specialists plan to implement the second stage of the programme for reactor testing of HTGR fuel under extreme and emergency operating conditions in which HTGR fuel samples pre-irradiated to various burn-ups will be tested at up to 1800°C.


United Kingdom UKAEA fast-tracks fusion fuel The UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) £200m ($244m) Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation (LIBRTI) programme has announced a series of steps intended to advance fusion energy development. LIBRTI, part of the broader Fusion Futures initiative, focuses on pioneering fusion fuel advancements and stimulating industry capacity through international collaboration. The announcement aligns with the UK’s Department for Energy and Net Zero’s support for the US fusion programme and budget plans for 2025/2026. The four-year programme aims to demonstrate controlled tritium breeding, a critical step for future fusion power plants. As part of this effort, UKAEA intends to purchase a neutron source which will form the backbone of a first-of-a-kind testbed facility to be built at


Culham Campus in Oxfordshire. UKAEA will also provide £9m funding for 12 small-scale tritium breeding and digital simulation experiments. Future fusion power plants will rely on


hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium to produce energy. While deuterium can be readily extracted from seawater, tritium is scarce in supply. To address this challenge, tritium must be produced (bred) in a lithium-containing blanket that surrounds the fusion reaction. This ‘breeder blanket’ will perform several tasks: ● Tritium production: Reacting with high-energy neutrons produced during fusion to generate tritium;


● Heat absorption: Capturing the immense heat generated by fusion reactions for energy conversion; and


● Shielding: Protecting the machine’s components from radiation damage.


US-based SHINE Technologies is expected to deliver a 14 MeV deuterium-tritium fusion system to provide the LIBRTI neutron source in 2027. UKAEA’s 12 small-scale tritium breeding and digital simulation experiments are expected to run until March 2026. Outcomes are expected to include new tritium transport models, the development of novel breeder materials and diagnostics, and digital platforms for the testbed facility.


Canada Slowpoke reactor interest Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) have issued a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEOI) to better understand market interest in licensing AECL’s Slowpoke and Nuclear Battery reactor technologies for commercialisation. The RFEOI invites technology developers and others to submit their insights and feedback about these reactor designs and technologies, which collectively have broad applications that include electricity generation, district heating, isotope production and physics research. AECL’s Slowpoke technology is a family of low


pressure, pool-type reactors that includes the Slowpoke-2, a small, simple, inexpensive and inherently safe reactor design that has years of operational experience, and which has been successfully licensed and operated in Canada for decades. The Nuclear Battery technology, which has never advanced to construction, is a solid-state micro-reactor concept that would be able to produce a combination of electricity (up to 600 kWe) and heat (up to 2400 kWt at around 400°C) for up to 15 years without refuelling, and which would be expected to survive all postulated accident scenarios without human intervention. Lou Riccoboni, CNL’s Vice-President of


Corporate Affairs and Business Development said: “We see real opportunity and value in AECL’s Slowpoke and Nuclear Battery designs, which have tremendous potential to help combat climate change, and to advance research in physics and health sciences. This


round up


ADVANCED REACTORS SWEDISH NUCLEAR ENERGY company Blykalla and Germany-based pump manufacturer KSB have announced a new partnership to develop specialised pumps for Blykalla’s SEALER technology. Blykalla founded in 2013 and formerly called Leadcold, is a spin-off from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Blykalla’s SMR prototype SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead-cooled Reactor) design is a fast compact reactor.


THE US DEPARTMENT of Energy’s (DOE’s) Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) has awarded four fiscal year 2025 vouchers to support the development of advanced nuclear technologies. Each company will get access to specific capabilities and expertise in the DOE’s national laboratory complex and will be responsible for a minimum 20% cost share, which can be an in-kind contribution.


FRANCE-HEADQUARTERED NUCLEAR start-up newcleo has entered into two framework agreements with Slovakian nuclear firms JAVYS and VUJE to build up to four 200 MW nuclear reactors in Slovakia. The construction of these GEN IV reactors is estimated to cost around €3.2bn ($3.3bn). According to newcleo, the agreements align with its model of using used nuclear fuel as a source of energy, while advancing its lead-cooled fast reactor modular technology.


SMRs


EDF’S NUWARD SUBSIDIARY has relaunched development of its small modular reactor (SMR) after announcing plans in 2024 to optimise the reactor design. According to Nuward’s original SMR roadmap, detailed design and formal application for a new nuclear facility was scheduled to begin in 2026 with first concrete in France planned for 2030. Construction of that first unit was expected to take three years. However, in July 2024 EDF said that it planned to optimise the Nuward design based on proven technologies to ensure project deadlines and budgets could be met.


ITALY’S EDISON HAS signed a memorandum of understanding with France’s EDF and Italy’s ENEA under which the companies will collaborate on industrial applications of small modular reactors (SMRs). Edison explained in a note that the collaboration will focus on the analysis of thermal hydraulic and passive safety systems, new technologies, integral system operation, and the opportunity to provide electricity and heat in cogeneration mode for industrial needs.


www.neimagazine.com | February 2025 | 13


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