REACTOR DESIGN | EXPLORING INL


Above: The Collaborative Computing Center (C3) provides state-of-the-art computer systems to perform modelling and simulation of nuclear reactors and fuels


using 9 kilograms of depleted uranium to produce 17 kg of fuel salt.


NEI: Is INL looking to restart development of fast reactors – how are plans for the VTR developing? INL has never stopped working on the development of fast reactors, with the primary focus over the years being the development of advanced metallic fuels based on similar concepts that were proven in the operation of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II. Current work is primarily in collaboration with Advanced Reactor Program Projects including the TerraPower Natrium project and the Advanced Reactor Concepts project. All work on the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) has stopped


due to the lack of Congressional funding for the project. There is a strong need for VTR to support nuclear reactor and fuel development given the lack of such a facility in the U.S. and partner countries.


NEI: INL has offered to site advanced reactor experiments. How many companies have undertaken to build their reactors/fuel facilities at INL and how has the cancellation of the UAMPS-NuScale experiment affected this?


Oklo will site its first Aurora microreactor and initial fuel fabrication facility for Aurora at INL. Other companies have expressed interest in siting both reactor and fuel facilities at INL and are pursuing site access. Several companies have expressed interest in testing reactors at INL as well. The Department of Energy launched the Cleanup to Clean


Energy initiative and released a request for information in 2023 to get input on siting carbon free energy sources, including nuclear reactors, on the INL site. DOE is reviewing the submissions. The cancelation of the UAMPS Carbon Free Power Project, which intended to deploy a NuScale VOYGR small modular reactor commercially (not as an experiment) has had no impacts on the activities to site other reactors at INL.


NEI: What progress is being made on the development of HALEU fuel? INL continues work to recover HALEU from used EBR- II driver fuel to provide feedstocks to support reactor


16 | March 2024 | www.neimagazine.com


demonstrations, including the Oklo reactor mentioned earlier.


In the fuel development area, INL continues work on


a range of fuels using HALEU. Specific activities include continuing the post-irradiation examination of TRISO fuel, development of irradiation experiments of TRISO fuels to support reactor developers, fabrication and irradiation of metallic fuels, and producing roughly two dozen HALEU uranium dioxide pellets for testing as light water reactor fuel.


NEI: What work is being done on TRISO fuel? Several aspects of TRISO fuel development were outlined in answers above. Here’s a summary of those answers and a


few additional items: ● Performing post-irradiation examination of the advanced gas-cooled reactor TRISO fuel that provides data to support reactor developer use.


● Expanded modeling and simulation capabilities for TRISO fuel in the R&D 100 award-winning BISON fuel performance code.


● Continued development of capabilities at ATR to support TRISO fuel testing.


● Direct work with reactor developers on design of irradiation experiments to be irradiated at ATR to support their specific fuel qualification needs.


NEI: What do you consider to be the main priority going forward in terms of reactor and fuel development? 1) Complete the three near-term reactor experiments and demonstrations that establish the ability to start up and operate new nuclear reactors for the first time in nearly 50 years. These projects are MARVEL, Project Pele and MCRE.


2) Develop and maintain key experimental capabilities to support fuels development. This includes capabilities for experimental fuel fabrication, irradiation, and examination and key facilities including ATR, TREAT, HFEF, IMCL and SPL. Continued development of infrastructure to support these areas is needed.


3) Complete NRIC DOME and LOTUS test beds and the first industry partner experimental reactor tests in those facilities, establishing capabilities to support reactor testing and demonstrations. ■


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