The BWXT advanced nuclear reactor, called Banr, is a transportable high-temperature gas-cooled microreactor which will use Triso fuel.
In 2020, BWXT was chosen to lead a seven-year $106m (€97m) cost-sharing project by the DOE to develop the reactor design. The DOE said it would contribute $85m of funding under the arrangement.
BWXT has been cooperating with the Idaho National Laboratory and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on developing Triso fuel. The company said it is expecting to deliver the first batch of the Banr Triso fuel for testing at INL’s advanced test reactor in 2024.
Triso, a shortened form of the term “Tristructural-Isotropic”, refers to a specific design of uranium nuclear reactor fuel. Tristructural refers to the layers of coatings surrounding the uranium fuel, and Isotropic refers to the coatings having uniform materials characteristics in all directions so that fission products are essentially retained.
BWXT said that testing at INL will provide important operational data on the performance of Triso fuel particles, data which will be critical in the process to receive licensing approval from the US regulator.
Established in 2020, the DOE’s ARDP seeks to help domestic private industry demonstrate advanced nuclear reactors. The cost-sharing programme has three components: advanced reactor demonstrations, risk reduction for future demonstrations, and advanced reactor concepts 2020.
Banr is part of the ARDP’s risk reduction project demonstrator pool, according to the DOE. BWXT said the DOE expects to invest approximately $600m over seven years in the ARDP’s risk reduction pathway.
