Beloyarsk NPP tests fuel for the Brest-300 fast reactor

24 October 2022


Tests of nuclear fuel for the Russian lead-cooled Brest-300 fast reactor are proceeding successfully, according to Valery Shamansky, Deputy Chief Engineer for Safety and Reliability of the Beloyarsk NPP. He noted that Beloyarsk NPP is testing a new nitride nuclear fuel for the Brest reactor, which is is being built at the Siberian Chemical Combine (SCC) in Seversk, Tomsk Region.

“All these tests are now producing positive results: the design concepts that were associated with this fuel are receiving full confirmation of their performance,” Shamansky said. He stressed that the test results justify the safe and reliable use of fuel at the BREST reactor.

The Brest reactor is part of the Experimental Demonstration Energy Complex (ODEK), which is being built under the Breakthrough (Proryv) strategic industry project at SCC intended to demonstrate closed fuel cycle technology. It will include three unique facilities: a module for fabrication and refabrication (MFR) of mixed dense uranium-plutonium nitride (MNUP) fuel, a 300 MWe Brest-300 lead-cooled fast reactor, and a module for reprocessing and recycling irradiated fuel.

Earlier, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, speaking at Russian Energy Week said: "Generation IV reactors will allow Russia to strengthen its leadership in the nuclear market." He added that, while Brest-300 is of average commercial power “it will not be difficult to scale it up further”. He expected the ODEK project to be launched in 2026-2027 “not in principle, but in hardware”, which would demonstrate a fully closed fuel cycle.” 

He stressed the uniqueness of the project. “In the second half of the 2020s we will step into the 2030s with a reference technology for a closed fuel cycle in two-component nuclear power engineering system including thermal reactors - ours are the best - and fast reactors, which are unique to us.” He added that this system would make it possible to stop mining uranium and burying high-level long-lived waste as all the fuel would be recycled.


Image: Testing of a new nitride nuclear fuel for the Brest-300 fast reactor (courtesy of Rosatom)



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