Testing will provide practical, in-reactor data for qualification and potential deployment
US nuclear fuel company Clean Core Thorium Energy and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) have announced an agreement to manufacture demonstration irradiation bundles of Aneel advanced nuclear fuel.
Clean Core said the agreement follows successful completion of a collaborative Canadian Nuclear Research Initiative project which provided model verification and validation of the computer codes and analysis methods used in the design and safety analysis of Aneel fuel.
Demonstration irradiation bundles are prototypic Aneel fuel bundles matching actual reactor fuel bundles designed for interface and irradiation testing.
Manufactured by CNL at the Chalk River Laboratories in Canada, these bundles will enable Clean Core to conduct demonstration irradiation which will provide practical, in-reactor data for to support future qualification and potential deployment of Aneel fuel in Candu reactors and other pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs).
CNL will lead the development, qualification and manufacturing of the fuel under Canadian Standard Association requirements for manufacturing nuclear fuel.
The initiative is a core component of Clean Core’s broader Aneel fuel development programme, which includes model validation, irradiation testing and regulatory progress.
Aneel is Clean Core’s patented nuclear fuel technology combining thorium with enriched uranium. Aneel is designed to achieve higher burnup and improved fuel utilisation in a once-through fuel cycle, with the potential to reduce long-lived spent fuel volumes per unit of energy generated and strengthen proliferation resistance.
