Westinghouse Electric Company has produced new fuel pellets that contain higher enrichment levels than what is currently used in commercial reactors.
August 8, 2024
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Westinghouse Electric Company has produced new fuel pellets that contain higher enrichment levels than what is currently used in commercial reactors.
The specialized “ADOPT™” fuel pellets were developed through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Accident Tolerant Fuel Program to help boost the performance and safety of nuclear plants.
The new fuel will be tested at the Vogtle Unit 2 reactor in Waynesboro, Georgia next year.
ADOPT Fuel Pellets
Westinghouse recently pressed its first batch of Low Enriched Uranium Plus (LEU+) ADOPT fuel pellets at its Springfield fuel manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom.
The pellets were made from a higher enriched uranium oxide power that was prepared by Idaho National Laboratory—marking the first time DOE material was used to support the increased enrichment of a commercial uranium oxide fuel above 5 percent.
Nearly all commercial nuclear reactor fuel is currently enriched between 3-to-5 weight percent of uranium-235, which is the main fissile isotope that produces energy during a chain reaction.
The new LEU+ ADOPT fuel pellets can be enriched up to 8 percent and include additives that are expected to improve the safety performance of the fuel while operating at increased power levels. The higher enrichment also allows the fuel to operate for longer stretches in the reactor to help reduce the number of outages needed for refueling.
“The first production of LEU+ ADOPT fuel is a key step for achieving longer fuel cycles and reducing operational costs in the nuclear fuel industry,” said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel President. “This significant milestone, which is part of our Encore® Accident Tolerant Fuel program, will help us provide safer, more economical, reliable, clean energy to our customers across the world.”
Prepping for Testing
The first LEU+ ADOPT fuel pellets will be fabricated into pins and included in four lead test assemblies in the U.K. before shipping them to the United States for irradiation testing at Plant Vogtle next year.
ADOPT fuel is one of several accident tolerant fuel concepts being supported through DOE’s Accident Tolerant Fuel program to deliver new fuel pellet and cladding designs that could be commercialized before the end of the decade.