Review of the TREAT Conversion Conceptual Design and Fuel Qualification Plan

Technical Report · Mon Nov 20 04:00:00 EST 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1424937· OSTI ID:1424937

Diamond, David ^[1]; Braverman, Joseph ^[1]; Cheng, Lap-Yan ^[1]; Hobbins, Richard ^[2]; Copeland, George ^[3]

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1. Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
2. RRH Consulting, Wilson, WY (United States)
3. Consultant

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing to re establish the capability to conduct transient testing of nuclear fuels at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility. The original TREAT core went critical in February 1959 and operated for more than 6,000 reactor startups before plant operations were suspended in 1994. DOE is now planning to restart the reactor using the plant's original high-enriched uranium (HEU) fuel. At the same time, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Material Management and Minimization Reactor Conversion Program is supporting analyses and fuel fabrication studies that will allow for reactor conversion to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel (i.e., fuel with less than 20% by weight 235U content) after plant restart. The TREAT Conversion Program's objectives are to perform the design work necessary to generate an LEU replacement core, to restore the capability to fabricate TREAT fuel element assemblies, and to implement the physical and operational changes required to convert the TREAT facility to use LEU fuel.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development
• DOE Contract Number: SC0012704
• OSTI ID: 1424937
• Report Number(s): BNL--114531-2017-FORE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS