Following the damage to the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Station in 2011, the U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to initiate a program to investigate accident-tolerant fuel for nuclear reactors. The goal of this initiative is to find a fuel rod design that is more tolerant to accident conditions than the fuel…
AREVA recently advanced to phase two of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel (EATF) Program. After the initial four-year research phase identified promising technologies, DOE awarded the company a $10 million, two-year grant, plus the continued use and support of its national laboratory facilities, to build on this work, and develop…
Since the 1950s, the nuclear energy industry has undergone continual, even if incremental, innovation and development. One of the greatest areas of research is nuclear fuel, especially fuel for the light water reactor (LWR) classes of boiling water reactors (BWRs) and pressurized water reactors (PWRs). From the start, BWR and PWR fuel technologies are designed…
AREVA Federal Services, an AREVA Inc. subsidiary, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to continue the development of the next generation of fuel for light water nuclear reactors. This program aims for the development of enhanced accident tolerant fuel (EATF), a more resistant fuel under severe accident conditions, particularly…
The safe, reliable, and economic operation of the nation’s nuclear power reactor fleet has always been a top priority for the United States’ nuclear industry. Continual improvement of technology, including advanced materials and nuclear fuels, remains central to the industry’s success. Decades of research combined with continual operation have produced steady advancements in technology and…