BWX Technologies has launched BWXT Advanced Fuels, a subsidiary dedicated to the commercialisation of advanced nuclear fuel, such as TRISO fuel. TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic) fuel comprises carbon and silicon layers surrounding a uranium fuel kernel.
BWXT’s TRISO optimisation programme is located at the BWXT Innovation Campus in Lynchburg, where experts from the existing TRISO manufacturing line as well as experts in new fuel development, machine learning and data science are working to further optimise the process and lower the cost to deliver TRISO to the industry. BWXT is enhancing its manufacturing capabilities to meet increasing market demand, while creating a framework to establish industry partnerships.
BWXT Advanced Fuels will pursue partnerships to deliver commercial nuclear fuel for future advanced nuclear reactors such as small modular reactors (SMRs), sodium-cooled reactors and high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs). It will focus on ensuring the availability of BWXT-manufactured nuclear fuel on a commercial scale by leveraging more than 20 years of experience manufacturing TRISO fuel at its Lynchburg facility.
BWXT Advanced Fuels is led by Senior Director Josh Parker. During the past five years, Parker has served as director of business development for BWXT Advanced Technologies and has more than two decades of experience in light water reactor fuels. “Our team is working right now to deliver the fuel for the first advanced reactors as well as optimising the TRISO manufacturing process for the future to ensure that we can successfully drive down costs to meet the demand of industry and energy end-users,” he said.
Parker, who is currently the subsidiary’s only employee, told Virginia Business that it is too soon to determine how many employees the subsidiary will hire. “We’ll have more news about that as we kind of get this thing rolling and moving,” he noted. He added that a major item on the BWXT Advanced Fuels’ to-do list is to “go out there and try to make decisions based on what we’re seeing in the market.”
One of those decisions will be whether the subsidiary can be based at an expanded Lynchburg facility in or if it will require building a separate facility. Parker said BWXT currently produces TRISO on a low-rate production scale. “We can supply probably one to two reactors a year out of what we have here in Lynchburg – depends on the size of reactors.” BWXT is exploring opportunities to expand its TRISO production capability through establishment of a new “greenfield” TRISO fabrication facility to meet the demand of the growing advanced reactor market.
According to Parker, BWXT expects the market for TRISO to take off by the end of the decade. “We need to be prepared to expand that capacity and to produce it at a larger scale,” he said. “You’ve got to have reactors over here that are going to buy the fuel and use the fuel,” Parker said. “So we’re looking at the market to make sure that is actually occurring and that these reactor developers might be successful. Indications are really good.”
He added that BWXT Advanced Fuels is in talks with a “whole bunch” of potential clients about purchasing its TRISO. “There’s about a dozen or so advanced reactors that are using TRISO that are in stages of development where they’re looking to either pilot a facility or demonstrate a facility in the next five years,” he noted.
“Given the significant investments, expertise and ready-to-manufacture capabilities in advanced nuclear fuels, BWXT is leaning in to lead fuel supply for multiple advanced reactor developers. Together, we are creating a new era of American nuclear energy dominance,” said Joe Miller, BWXT president for Government Operations.
BWXT first began manufacturing TRISO fuel, in partnership with Idaho National Laboratory under the Department of Energy‘s (DOE’s) Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development Program in 2003.
BWXT recently completed the designing and manufacturing of TRISO fuel for the Department of Defense (DOD) Strategic Capabilities Office’s Pele programme. Pele is a 1.5 MWe gas-cooled reactor that is transportable. BWXT is manufacturing TRISO on a commercial scale and will be prepared ahead of the ramp in new product deliveries to meet customer demand.
Two other US companies, both based in Tennessee, are produce TRISO on a laboratory scale – Standard Nuclear and TRISO-X (a subsidiary of X-energy).
