The events at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant in 2011 drew attention to the vulnerabilities in the zirconium alloy clad uranium dioxide (UO_2) fuel that is used in light water reactors(LWRs) around the world. Finding alternatives is not a simple task, especially as the economics of the fuel must also be maintained, alongside robust performance in extreme conditions. Significant research efforts are now taking place to develop so-called accident-tolerant fuels (ATFs), with plans to have new fuels in commercial reactors as lead test rods or assemblies as early as 2022 [1],
展开▼
