NEA Mandates and Structures

Expert Group on Innovative Fuels

Chair(s):	Nathalie CHAUVIN, France	Secretary:	Stéphanie CORNET (stephanie.cornet@oecd-nea.org)
Member(s):	All NEA member countries^*
	Russia (Suspended*)
	^*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council.
Full participant(s):	European Commission Under the NEA Statute
Observer(s)(International Organisation):	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement
Date of creation:	01 June 2008
End of mandate:	30 June 2019

Mandate (Document reference):

Approved at the 21st Meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee in June 2010 [NEA/SEN/NSC(2010)3]
Extended at the 9th Meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle in February 2012 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2012)2]
Extended at the 12th Meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle in February 2014 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2014)2/REV1]
Extended at the 27th meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee in June 2016 [NEA/SEN/NSC(2016)2]
Revised at the 15th Meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle in February 2017 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2017)2]
Mandate of the Expert Group on Innovative Fuels [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2018)1]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2018)1]

Objectives and scope

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 that can be implemented in advanced nuclear fuel cycles.

The scope of the expert group covers the technical issues associated with the development of innovative fuels (oxide, metal, nitride and carbide fuels, and special mechanical forms) targeted for use in advanced fuel cycles and Gen IV systems. The fuel types of interest for EGIF are those foreseen for driver fuels (i.e., uranium or uranium-plutonium fuels) as well as fuels dedicated to minor actinides (MA) transmutation considered for advanced fuel cycles and Gen IV systems.

The following technical issues associated with innovative fuels development are covered by the expert group:

Innovative fuels fabrication techniques.
Irradiation performance of innovative fuels (including advanced clad materials).
Characterisation and post-irradiation examination methods.
Predictive models/codes for innovative fuels behaviour and performance.
Phenomenological experiments in support of model development or validation.
Properties (thermophysical) of fuels.

Activities

Compile an experimental database.
Qualify methodologies.
Develop a process to the technology readiness level for various technologies.
Perform code-to-code, code-to-experiment benchmark studies.
Generate status reports on various fuel technologies.
Define and propose standard benchmark cases for fuel performance codes.
Define experimental benchmarks as well as phenomenological tests to compare characterisation and PIE techniques and results.
Study the needs towards fuels 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.).

Links

The expert group will liaise closely with other NEA working groups, especially the Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance of the WPRS, the Working Party on Multi-scale Modelling of Fuels and Structural Materials for Nuclear Systems (WPMM), the Expert Group on Accident-Tolerant Fuels and the Expert Group on Integral Experiments for Minor Actinides Management in order to ensure the respective work programmes are complementary, to provide advice and support where required and to undertake joint work where appropriate.

Deliverables

Report on benchmark on fuel performance codes and experiments (Phase 1 and Phase 2).
Preliminary recommendations on fuel properties.
Database on fuel properties (thermophysical): structure and contents.