b'Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) Phase IIGeneral ElectricDevelopment of LWR Fuels with Enhanced Accident TolerancePrincipal Investigator: Raul B. Rebak, GE Research, Schenectady, NYTeam Members/ Collaborators: Russ Fawcett, Global Nuclear Fuels; Evan Dolley, GE Research; Andy Nelson, ORNL; Ed Mai, INLGE is on track forA s fuel vendors, General Electricinclude cladding components, fuel (GE) including GE Research,components, and channels. For obtaining actualGE Hitachi Nuclear, and Globalcladding, GE is developing the ARMOR commercial reactorNuclear Fuels (GNF) and their partners,coating for Zircaloy-2 tubing which plant irradiation datathe reactor owners Southern Nuclearwill provide resistance to fretting on two ATF conceptsand Exelon Generation plus Oak Ridgeunder normal operation conditions including ARMORNational Laboratory (ORNL), Idahoand increased resistance to oxidation coated zirconium alloyNational Laboratory (INL), and Losin design base accident (DBA) and and IronClad monolithicAlamos National Laboratory (LANL)beyond design basic accident (BDBA) clad fueled rods. are working in the developmentconditions. GE is also developing the of accident tolerant fuels (ATF) forIronClad cladding concept which the current fleet of light water reac- involves the use of a monolithic tors (LWRs). Activities include basicFeCrAl alloy for housing the urania research and testing to characterize andfuel. Since the current zirconium alloy evaluate materials that were never usedused for channel materials needs to before in reactor environments, fuelbe replaced as well, GE is evaluating rod fabrication, as well as direct assess- to utilize nuclear grade silicon carbide ment of fuel rods behavior by installa- composite materials to fabricate tion is operating civilian nuclear powerthe channels. On the fuel side GE is plants. The current GE contract with theexploring the modification of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office ofcurrent urania fuel to make them Nuclear Energy (ONE) DE-NE0008823more resistant to fragmentation in the extends to February 2021. case of an accident or for extended Project Description: burn up conditions. The objective of the GE-led projectAccomplishments:is to develop a family of fuels thatThe two largest accomplishments will make the current and futurefor the fiscal year (FY) 2019 were fleet of LWRs safer to operate. Thethe fabrication at the industrial GNF newer family of ATF fuels will alsofacilities in Wilmington NC of fuel add benefits such as: (a) Fuel cyclerod components to be irradiated at economics (i.e., increased burnup),(a) the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) (b) Increased fuel reliability, andCycle 166B at the INL, and (b) Exelon (c) Plant operational flexibility (forGenerations Clinton Unit 1 Cycle 20 example using power reactors for peakin Illinois. For the ATR ATF-2 tests, demands of electricity). GE is workingINL received from GE twelve urania in fuel concepts that are for both nearfuel rodlets. The cladding for the term implementation and longerrodlets included standard Zircaloy-2, term development. The fuel conceptsARMOR coated Zircaloy-2, and C26M 40 2019|AFC ACCOMPLISHMENTS'