CX-020919: I-Loop Deployment in the Advanced Test Reactor

The safe, reliable, and economic operation of the nation's nuclear power reactor fleet has always been a top priority for the U.S. nuclear industry. Continual
technology improvement, including advanced materials and nuclear fuels, remains central to the industry's success. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) aims to develop nuclear fuels and claddings with enhanced accident tolerance for use in the current fleet of commercial light water reactors (LWRs) and in advanced reactor concepts. Accident tolerant fuels (ATFs) are defined as fuel systems that, when compared to existing Zircaloy (zry) clad UO2 designs, can tolerate loss of active cooling while maintaining or improving the fuel performance during normal operations, operational transients, design-basis events, and beyond design-basis events. An extensive series of experiments and irradiations have been planned and performed under the ATF Program with the goal of inserting a lead fuel rod or assembly into a commercial power plant by 2022. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) supports research and development (R&D) efforts for the ATF Program by furnishing supplying fuel testing infrastructure, testing ATF concepts, and supporting collaborative efforts among industry,
university, and other partners.