Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
4/4/2014
The Department of Energy has begun identifying alternative sources of fuel for TRIGA reactors. TRIGA reactors operate mainly at U.S. universities as research reactors, but due to uncertainties arising from a planned safety, security and equipment upgrade of the TRIGA fuel fabrication line by TRIGA International, doubts linger on whether the company will return back to operations by its scheduled 2018 return date. “For the RRI subprogram, continued delays and uncertainties associated with the planned 2018 restart of the TRIGA fuel fabrication facility operated in France by TRIGA International has potential to disrupt the continued operability of a subset of the 12 TRIGA research reactors serviced by the RRI subprogram,” according to recently released DOE budgetary documents. “Evaluation of alternatives has commenced and will be intensified and more formalized in FY 2014 and 2015.”
DOE will include in the analysis an exploration of potentially transferring fresh fuel from reactor to reactor, or possibly re-using lightly-irradiated fuel held by reactors or stored at the Idaho National Laboratory, a DOE spokesperson said. “The TRIGA fuel fabrication line is currently undergoing safety, security and equipment upgrade and is scheduled to restart operations in FY2017 with first fuel deliveries to reactor facilities expected in FY18,” the spokesperson said. “The Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory will conduct an analysis in FY15 to help ensure that U.S. universities with TRIGA research reactors can meet their fuel needs in a safe and cost-effective manner. This analysis will explore a number of options, including potentially transferring fresh fuel from reactors with an inventory to reactors with fuel needs and reusing lightly-irradiated fuel held by reactors or at INL.”
Funding for the alternative analysis appears to be coming from carry-over and other available funding made available from the Department’s Research Reactor Infrastructure program. “As supported by carryover or other available funding (e.g., shipment cancellations), develop policy and initiate planning to evaluate the potential re-use of used TRIGA low burn-up low enriched fuel currently in inventory at INL as part of alternatives analysis to address uncertainties due to extended outage at TRIGA International, the current sole source of fresh TRIGA fuel,” the budgetary documents said.
