Modelling Advanced Technology Fuels

Interest in new fuel technologies remains high after more than six years since the incident at
Fukushima-Daiichi. Significant programs at national institutions and private companies work to
understand new materials in an effort to improve the accident tolerance of nuclear fuel. Recently,
the community has begun to use the title “Advanced Technology Fuels” to communicate that
current fuels already have a degree of accident tolerance and to indicate that accident tolerance is
not the only driving force in new fuel technology development.
Any new fuel material faces challenges for widespread adoption. One significant challenge is the
lack of experimental data. Experimental programs at Halden and elsewhere are working to provide
the necessary experimental data, but much remains to be done. Given this lack of data, the use of
modelling tools that can provide guidance during the design process is attractive.
Support of advanced technology fuel modelling has been a significant point of emphasis in the
BISON project over the past few years. We demonstrate the modelling capability, and the
adaptability, of BISON using analyses of FeCrAl cladding, U3Si2 fuel, coated Zircaloy cladding, and
SiC composite cladding. These examples point out strengths and weaknesses of the concepts,
clarify where experimental data would be particularly useful, and indicate the utility of BISON for
modelling current and future advanced technology fuels