BWX Technologies, a Lynchburg, Va.-based nuclear company, announced Tuesday that its subsidiary installed and tested a furnace to manufacture TRISO nuclear fuel for advanced reactor technology.
TRISO fuel comprises a uranium fuel core surrounded by carbon and silicone layers. The furnace solidifies molds for TRISO particles before the ingredients become an advanced form of fuel for an advanced reactor or a microreactor.
This piece of equipment is the final piece necessary for BWXT’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) its subsidiary Advanced Technologies is conducting with the Department of Energy.
“Our advanced capability to manufacture TRISO fuel in multiple forms and shapes at scale will play an important role in enabling the small modular reactor and advanced microreactor market to flourish,” Kate Kelly, president of BWXT Advanced Technologies, said in a company release. “We’re proud to be working with DOE to diversify and optimize our TRISO fuel manufacturing capabilities as part of our ARDP scope and, more broadly, ensure the success of America’s growing advanced nuclear industry.”
BWXT can now convert Uranium Nitride TRISO into a nuclear fuel product with a higher uranium mass than traditional TRISO forms, meaning a more cost-effective fuel source with a longer reactor lifespan, the release said.
