Marking another milestone in an industry-led accelerated quest to commercialize accident tolerant fuels (ATF), nuclear fuel test rods containing Westinghouse’s EnCore technologies that completed their inaugural cycle at Exelon’s Byron nuclear plant have shipped to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). While initial visual inspections show “no signs of degradation,” the irradiated fuel will now be examined over the next year to support licensing efforts with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
The test fuel rods represent the tenth batch of ATF lead test assemblies (LTAs) that have so far been loaded and removed from various nuclear plants across the country under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) ATF program.
