Development of Fuel for the IGR Reactor: From Laboratory Research to Prospects for Industrial Production

A technical meeting was held at the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan between specialists from NNC RK, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL, USA) and JSC “Ulba Metallurgical Plant” (JSС “UMP”).

The meeting took place as part of a project on convertion of the IGR research reactor to low-enriched uranium fuel, carried out in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory. The main focus was on the current results of uranium-graphite fuel development, technological aspects of its production and an assessment of the possibility of organizing industrial manufacturing based on JSС “UMP”.

Significant portion of the program was devoted to issues related to uranium-graphite fuel manufacturing technology. During a visit to the materials science laboratories at the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan, specialists from JSС “UMP” familiarized themselves with methods for the incoming inspection of graphite materials, processes for impregnating them and equipment used for laboratory-scale testing of fuel production technology. Methods for characterizing the resulting fuel material were also discussed.

This technology under development involves introducing uranium directly into the pore structure of a graphite matrix to produce uranium-graphite fuel designed for the specific operating conditions of the IGR pulse reactor. One of the key technical challenges is achieving the required uranium content and ensuring its uniform distribution throughout the fuel block, while preserving the necessary strength of graphite and thermophysical properties. Particular attention is being paid to the purity of the graphite source and to the stability of the characteristics of fuel material under high-temperature exposure.  

Following the meeting, participants discussed the next stages in developing the technology and identified priority areas for joint work, including the transition from laboratory-scale development to industrial fuel manufacturing. Implementation of the planned activities will mark an important step in the program to convert the IGR reactor to LEU fuel while preserving its unique experimental capabilities.