Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) and the mandate of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC), the objective of the Expert Group on Innovative Fuels (EGIF) is to conduct joint and comparative studies to identify technical issues and support the development of innovative fuels (including innovative clad materials) that can be implemented in advanced nuclear fuel cycles.
Scope
The scope of the Expert Group covers the technical issues associated with the development of innovative fuels (homogeneous and heterogeneous fuels, ADS fuels, and oxide, metal, nitride and carbide fuels) and clad materials targeted for use in advanced fuel cycles. The fuel types of interest for EGIF are those that contain minor actinides (MA) as opposed to standard fuels (i.e. uranium or uranium-plutonium fuels that are currently being used in the fuel cycle). The following technical issues associated with innovative fuel development are covered by the Expert Group:
Innovative fuel fabrication techniques;
Irradiation performance of innovative fuels (including advanced clad materials);
Characterisation and post-irradiation examination methods;
Predictive models/codes for the innovative fuel fabrication and performance;
Phenomenological experiments in support of model development or validation.
Pertinent to these topics, EGIF will carry out:
Compile an experimental database;
Qualify methodologies;
Develop a process to the technology readiness level for various technologies;