Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has completed a series of first-of-a-kind criticality experiments intended to provide data to support the transportation of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU)-based fuel.
The experiment is part of a larger effort by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to develop safety data related to the use, storage, and transportation of HALEU.
Researchers have been collaborating with Kairos Power to identify data needs for improved nuclear fuel cycle efficiencies and safety in the transportation of HALEU-based TRISO (TRI-structural ISOtropic) fuel. The THETA experiment was performed at the National Criticality Experiments Research Centre (NCERC) using the recently demonstrated Deimos advanced reactor testbed.
The testbed was modified using stainless steel to represent fuel shipping containers and polyethylene to simulate water infiltration scenarios and its impact on neutron moderation.
Over the course of three weeks, researchers performed a series of experiments to simulate various transportation scenarios, including the intensity of neutron radiation on the fuel. Researchers also used borated polyethylene to evaluate the effectiveness of neutron absorbers – potential components in future transportation designs.
“This is the first time the Deimos testbed has been used to test transportation scenarios,” said Florie Knauf, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle. “The data collected from the experiment will help address key gaps related to the transportation of HALEU TRISO fuel.”
DOE is supporting 15 coordinated projects to generate publicly available data and criticality benchmarks related to the use, storage, and transportation of HALEU fuels. The project teams span six national laboratories and include partnerships with six universities and multiple industry partners. This collaborative ecosystem is working towards closing data gaps in the fuel cycle.
The publicly available data from these projects will enable efficient future design and safety reviews and help the nuclear industry develop new and novel solutions to improve the safety and design of their applications.
“Making reactor technologies a commercial reality demands data-driven research & development that serves both innovators and regulators,” said the National Technical Director William Wieselquist.
