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LLNL, Ampera partner to develop thorium-based TRISO fuel
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has formed a strategic partnership with Ampera to develop the company’s nuclear fuel concept through a project named THUNDER, for Thorium Unimodal Droplet Ejection for Reactors.
The focus of THUNDER is fabricating TRISO made with kernels of thorium rather than the usual uranium. LLNL and Ampera will evaluate and optimize liquid metal–jetting technology to produce highly uniform, spherical kernels of thorium-232 for later processing into TRISO fuel.
William D. Burch, W. S. Groenier
Nuclear Technology | Volume 61 | Number 3 | June 1983 | Pages 388-397
Technical Paper | New Directions in Nuclear Energy with Emphasis on Fuel Cycles / Nuclear Fuel | doi.org/10.13182/NT83-A33161
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Over the past decade, the United States has developed plans and carried out programs directed toward the demonstration of breeder fuel reprocessing in connection with early breeder demonstration reactors. Although subject to continuing debate, progress continued on the construction of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor (CRBR) with startup anticipated near the end of this decade. While plans for the CRBR and its associated fuel cycle are still being firmed up, the basic R&D programs required to carry out the demonstrations have continued. Policies call for breeder recycle to begin in the early to mid-1990s. An important objective of the reprocessing program is to develop advanced technology for the recovery of fissile materials in systems that minimize environmental emissions and doses to plant workers, and that also provide effective fissile material safeguards. Major improvements include technology for remote operation and maintenance, low-flow ventilation systems coupled with more effective off-gas treatment, and advanced process monitoring for control and safeguards.