There is an ongoing interest from Member States in the development and deployment of accident tolerant fuels (ATFs, that are included in the generic group of Advanced Technology Fuels). Such fuels are seen to offer both safety and economic benefits for nuclear power reactors with many designs under consideration. Those technologies that are mature enough to commence fuel qualification and achieve near term deployment (i.e., within the coming decade) in the existing fleet of light water reactors (LWRs) and in the LWR-based small modular reactor (SMR) designs are termed ‘evolutionary accident tolerant fuels’ (eATFs).
There are numerous designs and concepts that could be termed as eATFs, based on features such as enhanced cladding, modified uranium oxide fuel (including dopants), and increased enrichment.
A great deal of research and development has been undertaken to support the introduction of eATFs into commercial nuclear power reactors; the first eATFs entered service in 2021 as part of a test programme. These tests support the economic and safety cases for reactor core operations and provide preliminary information to anticipate potential impacts on the back end of the fuel cycle when compared to traditional power reactor fuels. This includes during storage, transportation, reprocessing and recycling, and disposal.
The IAEA is organizing a Technical Meeting on 14 to 17 June 2022 to facilitate the exchange of information regarding eATFs to enable experts to collaboratively identify the opportunities and challenges faced in all stages of the back end of the fuel cycle (storage, transportation, reprocessing & recycling, and disposal) by the introduction of eATFs into commercial use.
