Lightbridge Secures Idaho Test Reactor Slot for Advanced Nuclear Fuel Irradiation
Lightbridge Corporation has secured a slot within the Idaho National Laboratory's (INL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to irradiate its advanced nuclear fuel, Lightbridge Fuel TM. This development is a crucial step in the company's efforts to develop next-generation nuclear fuel technology for existing light-water and pressurized heavy-water reactors, as well as for new small modular reactors. The agreement, Project Task Statement (PTS) No. 2 under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), the U.S. Department of Energy’s operating contractor for INL, allows for loop testing of clad Lightbridge Fuel TM rodlets. Loop testing involves irradiating fuel within a self-contained and independently controlled environment that simulates the coolant chemistry, temperature, pressure, and flow conditions of a commercial light-water reactor. This process is considered the next phase from materials research towards fuel qualification. The work builds upon previous tec...
