IPS does research for the nuclear utilities and vendors, as well as for NRC and DOE-RW. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has a contract with EPRI and AREVA to characterize very high-burnup (70-75 MWd/kg) M5 fuel rods and guide tubes. Under a Memorandum Purchase Order with INL, IPS is in the process of determining the mechanical properties of the highly irradiated M5 cladding and guide tubes. Defueling of the cladding segments is being performed by BWXT in Lynchburg, VA under a contract with IPS. The results of this program will help AREVA assess the performance of their advanced-alloy M5 under normal operating conditions at burnups greater than the current licensing limit (62 MWd/kg).

In addition, IPS has established a good working relationship with Exelon and performs studies for Exelon on an as-requested basis. The most recent study involved modeling and isotopic analysis of coolant water (performed by the Chemical Engineering Division) to shed some light on enhanced tritium release to the reactor coolant systems of the Braidwood and Byron plants in Illinois. Work is also being done for Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) to determine the performance of their advanced BWR cladding alloy under high-temperature steam, quench and post-quench conditions. These results will be used by GNF to qualify their alloy with NRC for the design-basis LOCA event.

Related Resources / News Items

Related Documents

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• LOCA Embrittlement Test Results for High-Burnup Cladding, M.C. Billone, Y. Yan and T. Burtseva
  [, 1.9MB]
• Strategy for Revising Fuel Cladding Acceptance Criteria, P.M. Clifford - U.S. NRC
  [, 120KB]

News Releases

• Nuclear super-fuel gets too hot to handle
  by Rob Edwards (Apr. 14, 2008) - full article on Rob Edwards website
• Nuclear super-fuel gets too hot to handle
  by Rob Edwards, New Scientist Magazine, issue 2651 (Apr. 14, 2008) - Full article available only to SUBSCRIBERS -
• Next-generation nuclear fuel may be too hot to handle: report
  AFP News Release (Apr. 9, 2008)

Irradiation Performance
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