ORNL’s Particle Fuel Forms Group leads the nation’s most comprehensive coated particle fuel development program.
Coated particle fuels are designed to deliver enhanced performance and inherent safety necessitated by advanced reactors. However, the same features that make these fuels attractive can introduce significant rigor in fabrication, characterization, and commercial qualification.
Focused on advancing the technologies required for reliable, scalable production and bridging fuel performance with fabrication, the group’s work is critical to supporting advanced reactor deployment and establishing a domestic fuel supply.
From innovation to qualification
With over two decades of leadership in coated particle fuel research and development, The Particle Fuel Forms Group focuses on coated particle fuels with a strong emphasis on tristructural isotopic, or TRISO fuel development. Their efforts span the entire particle fuel lifecycle:
- Fabrication: Producing high-quality coated particle fuel with repeatable, scalable processes in collaboration with ORNL’s Advanced Fuel Fabrication Group (AFF).
- Characterization: Applying advanced techniques and creating new instrumentation and methodologies to analyze fuel properties throughout development.
- Irradiation testing: Evaluating fuel performance and separated effects under reactor-relevant conditions.
- Post-irradiation examination (PIE): Investigating fuel behavior after exposure to radiation to inform future designs and support fuel qualification.
Grounded in rigorous quality assurance and quality control frameworks, the Particle Fuel Forms group ensures the data produced is actionable for regulatory, commercial, and research purposes.
The group operates a fully integrated set of tools, facilities, and expertise, including:
- Coated Particle Fuel Development Laboratory: A full suite of TRISO fuel fabrication and characterization tools, integrated with ORNL’s broader nuclear science resources.
- Core Conduction Cooldown Test Facility: A testbed for measuring the release rate of fission products and identification of particles failures from TRISO fuel particles and compacts under off-normal and margin conditions.
- Irradiated Microsphere Gamma Analyzer: A specialized system for non-destructive evaluation of irradiated particle fuel performance to establish particle inventory and isolate rare particle behaviors.
These tools, combined with ORNL’s on-site characterization technologies and close collaboration with irradiation engineering and advanced fuel fabrication research groups, are addressing complex technical challenges.
Strategic Collaborations
The group works closely with a wide range of partners to advance particle fuel development, qualification, and deployment, including:
- INL & DOE-NE Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program: Developing best practices for TRISO fuel fabrication and quality assurance and control by generating qualification data through post-irradiation examination.
- INL & DOE-NE Advanced Fuels Campaign: Advancing next-generation TRISO fuels and addressing deployment challenges.
- TRISO-X (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement): Supporting technology transfer of TRISO fuel fabrication.
- BWXT: Supporting fuel fabrication, post-examination irradiation, and qualification for the DOE- NE Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, and through the Department of Defense’s PELE program
- Kairos Power & X-Energy: Supporting several DOE-NE Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program research activities, including testing support to Kairos Power and post-irradiation examination for X-Energy.
Committed to enabling the deployment of coated particle fuel technologies for advanced reactors.
By combining deep technical knowledge, specialized facilities, and strong collaborative networks, the Particle Fuel Forms group is directly supporting efforts to bring the next generation of advanced reactors online.