BWX Technologies Inc., the U.S-based power generation technology firm, has reportedly finished its TRISO nuclear fuel line restart project and is producing experimental fuel at its Lynchburg-based facility.
For the record, BWXT is one of the leading nuclear fuel producers in the world, producing fuel across numerous government and commercial business lines. BWXT joint ventures offer management and operations at over a dozen NASA and US Department of energy facilities.
In June 2020, the company inked an agreement with the U.S. DOE’s (Department of Energy) Idaho National Laboratory to strengthen its TRISO manufacturing capacity and produce a demonstration quantity of fuel. This project is jointly funded by NASA and U.S DoD’s (Department of Defense) Operational Energy Capabilities Improvement Fund Office, with overall management offered by U.S DoD’s Strategic Capabilities Office.
Previously, in March 2020, BWXT Technologies announced an agreement with the U.S DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to showcase the capability to produce TRISO nuclear fuel to aid the continuous development of the Transformational Challenge Reactor. The agreement’s scope includes the fabrication and delivery of uranium kernels, TRISO coated uranium kernels, and TRISO coated surrogate materials for a demonstration batch. The company is planning to recruit 25 extra workers for its TRISO operations.
For the record, TRIstructural-ISOtropic (TRISO) refers to a particular design of uranium nuclear reactor fuel. TRISO particles are highly stable to extreme temperatures and are used to produce fuel for reactors that work at 750 to 950°C. The company says it is the only American company that executing a production agreement for TRISO nuclear fuel.
Speaking on which, Joel Duling, Nuclear Operations Group President said that he is proud of the company’s team for blending innovative ideas with its extensive history and experience in fuel development and manufacturing.
Source credit - https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201110005137/en/BWXT-Accomplishes-Restart-of-TRISO-Nuclear-Fuel-Manufacturing
