Framatome recently delivered the industry’s first nuclear 100% accident tolerant fuel assembly (ATF) to Exelon Generation’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby, Maryland. Developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Framatome’s PROtect program, this lead fuel assembly (LFA) containing 176 chromium-coated rods and chromia-enhanced pellets, was inserted as part of the plant’s recent spring refueling outage.

“Loading the first complete accident tolerant fuel assembly is a huge milestone for Framatome and the nuclear energy industry,” said Lionel Gaiffe, senior executive vice president, Fuel Business Unit at Framatome. “This is the next step in our PROtect program and further demonstrates our commitment to advancing nuclear fuel technology by offering more efficient and reliable solutions to support the production of low-carbon energy.”

The first complete fuel assembly builds on previous work that included completing an 18-month fuel cycle test on LFA in the U.S. and Switzerland. Framatome’s PROtect ATF chromium-coated cladding and chromia-enhanced pellets are more tolerant to changes in reactor core temperatures increasing coping time, while reducing corrosion and the production of hydrogen under high-temperature conditions.

View the full press release at the Framatome site.