2018 | AFC ACCOMPLISHMENTS 16 The challenge of qualifying new nuclear fuel materials is signifi- cant.A large dataset is necessary to ensure that reactor operators and regulators can predict fuel perfor- mance across all operating conditions and as a function of numerous vari- ables.This data has traditionally been acquired through many integral fuel irradiation experiments.This process is not only expensive but also takes many years to travel from conception Figure 1. Overview of the MiniFuel irradiation design. Each sub-capsule (shown at right) contains a single fuel sample (fuel kernels shown here). Six sub-capsules are loaded in each target (center right), and three targets can be loaded in each basket (center left). A total of three baskets can be placed in each vertical experiment facility (VXF) target position in HFIR. to design, fabrication, irradiation, and postirradiation examination. Recent years have also seen advance- ments in modeling and simulation capabilities. Our ability to model specific phenomenon across multiple length scales has greatly improved. However, the complexity of chemical and structural evolutions anticipated of nuclear fuels during operation poses a significant challenge. Integral irradiations convolute numerous interdependent effects; it has not been Development of an Irradiation Capability for ‘Separate Effects’ Testing of Nuclear Fuels: The MiniFuel Irradiation Design Oak Ridge National Laboratory