GNF joins beryllium fuel initiative

Friday, 18 February 2011 GE Energy fuel fabricating arm Global Nuclear Fuel America (GNF-A) has joined an initiative working on improving the thermal performance of nuclear fuel using beryllium oxide (BeO) under a memorandum of understanding it has signed with rare metals company IBC Advanced Alloys. Vancouver-based IBC is the sponsor of a fuel research study at Purdue University and Texas A&M University to evaluate the use of BeO, which has very high thermal conductivity, to improve the efficiency of BWR fuel. By improving the fuel's thermal conductivity, BeO-enhanced fuel could improve the operational safety of reactors and could also potentially result in operational cost savings and efficiencies, as well as helping to improve burn-up rates. IBC recently announced the completion of the initial phase of the research project, which was launched in 2008.