Accident Tolerant Fuels Enhance Nuclear Safety
Accident tolerant fuels are all the rage, and in fact are now being utilized at Exelon’s Clinton nuclear power plant in Illinois. This emerging type of fuel features an improved tolerance toward heat, which improves the safety, reliability, and efficiency of nuclear reactors. From an emergency preparedness perspective, it definitely seems like a win-win.
Overview of Accident Tolerant Fuels
The Department of Energy (DOE) is extremely high on the potential of this new technology, evidenced by the fact that in 2018 it awarded over $111 million in funding to 3 companies that develop the fuels – GE, Westinghouse, and Framatone – followed by planned $55 million and $30 million investments in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The DOE funding is contingent upon deployment in at least 1 power plant, and the installation at Exelon’s Clinton plant fulfills this requirement. The accident tolerant fuels used at Exelon’s plant were developed through a joint venture between GE and Hitachi called Global Nuclear Fuel.
You can read more about this exciting new technology here. In a nutshell, the fuel consists of 3 varieties of iron-chromium-aluminum alloys which are trademarked as “IronClad.” The main benefit is that they help resist oxidation, which means they improve plant safety when they are operating at higher temperatures. The technology also improves operational flexibility for nuclear plants because it allows the reactors to be powered up and down more effectively.
In my book, anything that enhances safety within the utility industry is a win. And despite some opinions to the contrary, nuclear plants are not going away anytime soon, mainly because they can help accomplish climate goals. Although nukes are relatively safe in general, there is always room for continuous improvement when it comes to safety measures.
Only time will tell if accident tolerant fuels become ubiquitous within the nuclear industry, but this clearly seems like a step in the right direction. Simply put, there is no place for complacency when it comes to safety.
