• US develops ‘flowing’ nuclear fuel that extracts more energy from uranium particles Higher uranium concentrations than pure liquid fuels provide the flexibility to power everything from large-scale plants to small modular reactors. • Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has officially signed a research license agreement with Australian investment firm Out The Back Ventures to accelerate the development of a transformative nuclear fuel technology. • “A new approach to nuclear fuel developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory could enhance the performance of new light water nuclear reactors,” said the lab in a press release. • “Light water reactors make up most of the US operating nuclear reactors and generate power using uranium dioxide fuel pellets.” The partnership aims to move the Uranium Dioxide Liquid Metal Suspension (ULIMES) concept from the laboratory toward commercial viability. • A new state for nuclear fuel The breakthrough centers on a “flowing” fuel system that reimagines the internal chemistry of nuclear reactors. • While traditional light water reactors (LWRs)-which provide the vast majority of carbon-free power in the US-rely on solid uranium dioxide (UO2) pellets, the ULIMES design uses unsintered UO2 particles suspended in a liquid metal (LM) carrier.

Article Summaries:

  • US develops ‘flowing’ nuclear fuel that extracts more energy from uranium particles Higher uranium concentrations than pure liquid fuels provide the flexibility to power everything from large-scale plants to small modular reactors. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has officially signed a research license agreement with Australian investment firm Out The Back Ventures to accelerate the development of a transformative nuclear fuel technology. “A new approach to nuclear fuel developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory could enhance the performance of new light water nuclear reactors,” said the

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