The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved an accident tolerant fuel pellet technology developed by US-based Westinghouse Electric for use in US pressurised water reactors, Westinghouse said.
According to a statement, approval of the advanced doped pellet technology (Adopt) came after a successful demonstration to the NRC and a committee on reactor safeguards that the fuel “significantly enhances the safety and reliability of PWRs”.
Adopt fuel is a modified uranium dioxide (UO2) pellet doped with small amounts of chromia and alumina. The additives facilitate greater densification and diffusion during sintering, resulting in a higher density and an enlarged grain size as compared to undoped UO2.
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