Nuclear fuel technology company Lightbridge Corporation has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the primary goal of designing an experiment for irradiation of Lightbridge metallic fuel material samples at the Advanced Test Reactor at the Idaho International Laboratory.
Lightbridge signed the agreement with the Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, the operating contractor of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The experiment, the company said, "will allow Lightbridge to measure the thermo-physical properties of Lightbridge Fuel material samples." The total project value of the CRADA is approximately $845,000, with three-quarters of this amount funded by DOE for the scope performed by INL.
Lightbridge and INL will establish the test plan for measuring key thermo-physical properties of Lightbridge Fuel™ material both before and after irradiation in the ATR. INL will then perform the detailed design and establish the safety case for the experiment in the ATR. This will include the control of parameters such as thermal hydraulic capacity, maximum sample temperature, neutron fluence, and the physical location of the test capsules within the ATR. The output of this project will be the complete design and safety case needed for insertion of the experiment into the ATR. The timeline for the CRADA is 12 months from project initiation.
Anonymous comments will be moderated. Join for free and post now!