WPFC Expert Group on Innovative Fuel Elements (EGIFE)

Ongoing

Scope

Under the guidance of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC), the Expert Group on Innovative Fuel Elements (EGIFE) conducts joint and comparative studies to support the development of innovative fuels (oxide, metal, nitride and carbide fuels, and special mechanical forms), including cladding, for advanced nuclear fuel cycles and Generation IV systems.

The following technical issues 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 behaviour and performance of innovative fuels
Phenomenological experiments in support of model development or validation
Properties (thermo-physical) of fuels and cladding

Both driver fuels (i.e. uranium or uranium-plutonium fuels) and for minor actinide (MA) transmutation are considered.

Objectives

R&D on innovative fuels

Generate status reports on various fuel technologies
Qualify methodologies (TRL requirements and metrics)
Develop a process to the technology readiness level for various technologies
Study the needs for fuel qualification and code validation
List R&D activities needed to advance fuel qualification
Undertake scientific and technology watch on experimental results (post-irradiation examination, etc.)

Irradiation results and benchmark with fuel performance codes

Share irradiation data
Perform code-to-code, code-to-experiment benchmark studies on fuel behaviour under normal and off-normal conditions
Define and propose standard benchmark cases for fuel performance codes
Define experimental benchmarks as well as phenomenological tests to compare characterisation and Post-irradiation examination (PIE) techniques and results
Compile an experimental database

Fuel Properties

Identify properties needed for fuel performance codes
Share data on each fuel property (literature and experimental data)
Analyse and recommend for each property, the law, the application domain and associated uncertainty
Develop a database on fuel properties (thermo-physical)

Links with other NEA working groups and international organisations

The expert group liaises closely with other NEA bodies, in particular the Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS) - and within it the Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance (EGRFP) and the Expert Group on Reactors Multi-Physics (EGMUP) - and the Working Party on Multi-scale Modelling of Fuels and Structural Materials for Nuclear Systems (WPMM), in order to ensure the respective work programmes are complementary, to provide advice and support as required and to undertake joint work as appropriate. In addition, the expert group works in co-operation with other international organisations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Commission (EC).

Meetings

Related meeting information from 2008 to date can be found in the EGIFE members' area below.

Members' areas

EGIFE members' area (password protected | reminder)

Benchmark on Fuel Performance Codes and Experiments (password-protected for authorised participants)

Contact

Gabriele Grassi

Activities

results

Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI)

The Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) is responsible for NEA programmes and activities that support maintaining and advancing the scientific and technical knowledge base of the safety of nuclear installations.

Expert Group on Multi-physics Experimental Data, Benchmarks and Validation (EGMPEBV)

The expert group deals with the activities associated with the certification of experimental data and benchmark models along with establishing the processes and procedures for using the data and benchmark models for validation of modelling and simulation tools and data.

Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance (EGRFP)

Under the guidance of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) the expert group performs specific tasks associated with fuel performance aspects of present and future nuclear power systems.

Nuclear Science Committee (NSC)

The NEA nuclear science programme is developed and executed by the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC), comprising high-level scientific experts from all NEA member countries.

Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS)

The main mission of the Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS) is to advance the current understanding and address cross-cutting issues related to fuel behaviour in accident conditions, including work on associated aspects of thermal-hydraulics, oxidation, chemistry, mechanical behaviour and reactor physics.

Working Party on Multi-scale Modelling of Fuels and Structural Materials for Nuclear Systems (WPMM)

The Working Party on Multi-scale Modelling of Fuels and Structural Material for Nuclear Systems (WPMM) was established to deal with the scientific and engineering aspects of fuels and structural materials, aiming at establishing multi-scale models and simulations as validated predictive tools for the design of nuclear systems, fuel fabrication and performance.

See

Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC)

The Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) studies advanced nuclear fuel cycles, including fuel cycle scenarios, innovative fuels and materials, separation chemistry, waste disposal and coolant technologies