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Launching into tomorrow: NRIC guides new era of research and deployment
In June 2025, the Department of Energy announced the Reactor Pilot Program, an authorization pathway that allowed reactor developers to partner with the DOE to get first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors built and tested. Soon after, the DOE rolled out a complementary Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aimed to fast-track fuel projects. In all, 20 projects were accepted into the new programs.
Katsuyuki Kawashima, Ratib A. Karam
Nuclear Technology | Volume 86 | Number 1 | July 1989 | Pages 49-59
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A34281
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Neutronics performances were analyzed for a partial-refueling ultra-long-life core (ULLC) using metallic fuel for 1000-MW(electric) liquid-metal fast breeder reactors. Once this core is initially loaded, only fertile materials are needed as core reload fuel for the rest of the reactor lifetime, taking advantage of the superior breeding characteristics of the metallic fuel. The fuel management strategy demonstrates the core concept and establishes relevant performance parameters such as a manageable reactivity swing and flat power distributions over the burnup cycles. The following advantages of this ULLC concept over the nonrefueling ULLC were found: smaller control reactivity requirements over the cycle lower power peaking factor and lower power swings during burnup