Researchers use one-of-a-kind expertise and capabilities to test fuels of tomorrow

May 26, 2025, 9:50AMUpdated October 17, 2025, 4:55PMNuclear NewsCory Hatch
Commercial nuclear fuel rods being unloaded from cask inside a HFEF hot cell. (Photo: INL)

At the Idaho National Laboratory Hot Fuel Examination Facility, containment box operator Jake Maupin moves a manipulator arm into position around a pencil-thin nuclear fuel rod. He is preparing for a procedure that he and his colleagues have practiced repeatedly in anticipation of this moment in the hot cell.

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