December 5, 2024
December 5, 2024
USNIC Key Mover Update
This new high-temperature ceramic fuel cladding tested at Idaho National Laboratory could potentially transform the way nuclear fuels are made.
December, 5 2024
General Atomics recently completed its first round of testing at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on unfueled samples of a new high-temperature ceramic fuel cladding that could potentially transform the way nuclear fuels are made.
The initial experiment is part of a series of tests with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to commercialize the fuel cladding early next decade.
General Atomics is developing “SiGA®” cladding that is made from silicon carbide. The high temperature ceramic material can withstand temperatures up to 3800°F, which is roughly 500°F higher than the melting point of the zirconium alloy widely used in operating light water reactors.
The first set of unfueled SiGA rodlets recently completed a 120-day irradiation cycle in INL’s Advanced Test Reactor and showed no initial signs of structural damage, leakage, or significant mass changes.
The rodlets will undergo additional post-irradiation examination at the lab to better inform future experiments.
“This testing provides initial validation that SiGA cladding can effectively contain the fuel and any fission products that are produced under irradiation and high temperature conditions,” said Christina Back, vice president of nuclear technologies and materials at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems. “This is a key milestone on SiGA cladding’s development path to enhance the safety of the existing U.S. fleet of light water reactors.”
Additional irradiation experiments on the SiGA rodlets are in research reactors at INL, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to help verify cladding’s material properties and strength.
Previous testing at the lab demonstrated the rodlets’ performance at elevated accident temperatures. They were also exposed to high temperature steam conditions and remained intact under loss-of-coolant conditions that caused zircalloy rods to fail and burst under the same conditions.
General Atomics is progressing through three types of irradiation experiments that include unfueled, non-uranium fueled, and uranium fueled rodlets.
Future testing on fueled SiGA rodlets in INL, ORNL, and MIT research reactors will eventually lead to irradiation in commercial power reactors using full-length, 12-foot fuel rods in the next six years.
The performance data will be used to support Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing.
DOE previously supported the development and demonstration of SiGA cladding through its Accident Tolerant Fuel Program.
Beginning in FY25, SiGA cladding will be funded through DOE’s new Next Generation Fuels Program, which supports industry through financial assistance and lab-based research and development to significantly outperform today’s fuel by focusing on developing and maturing longer-term, high-risk, high-reward fuel concepts.
Source: General Atomics Completes First Round of Testing on New Ceramic Fuel Cladding | Department of Energy
