US loads most powerful nuclear fuel to boost electricity output in historic first

This, in turn, could lead to a substantial increase in reliable power production at nuclear power plants across the country.

Setting the testing stage

Southern Nuclear, which operates a total of eight units for Alabama Power and Georgia Power, recently loaded four test fuel units with Westinghouse’s ADOPT® fuel pellets into the Vogtle Unit 2 reactor located in Waynesboro, Georgia.

Doped with small amounts of chromia (Cr₂O₃) and alumina (Al₂O₃), the fuel is an enhanced uranium dioxide (UO₂) design that improves neutron efficiency by reducing the use of chromium, an undesirable neutron absorber.

It is further enriched with up to 6 weight percent of uranium-235, which is the main and only naturally occurring fissile isotope that generates energy during a chain reaction and has the potential to reshape the industry.

While commercial reactors currently use fuel enriched to between 3 and 5 percent uranium-235, emerging small reactor designs are driving growing interest in higher enrichment levels.

However, apart from extending reactor operation cycles from the typical 18 months to as long as 24 months, the higher enriched fuel also holds the potential to increase power output and reduce the amount of waste produced over the reactor’s lifetime.

Meanwhile, the pellets – originally prepared by Idaho National Laboratory – were processed from higher enriched uranium oxide powder and engineered with additives to boost safety performance.

The next phase

With the powder further processed into fuel pellets and fabricated into pins, the material was then shipped to Vogtle Unit 2 – which has been operational since 1989 – for commercial testing.

“This achievement is a significant step forward for not only the resiliency of the entire U.S. operating fleet, but future nuclear technologies,” Pete Sena, Southern Nuclear chairman, president and CEO, says in a press release. “Our goal is to operate our units for longer periods with higher output, and with higher enriched fuel, we’re even better positioned to meet the growing energy demands of the state of Georgia.”

The U.S. Department of Energy reveals that the lead test assemblies will now undergo an extended testing period of four and a half years at Plant Vogtle – the largest generator of clean energy in the country which provides reliable and emission-free power for Georgia – allowing for thorough evaluation under real operating conditions.

“The fuel will be examined after each fuel cycle with a more extensive review after the fuel completes testing to support future commercialization and deployment in the United States,” the department concludes.