Pilot fuel elements for the Generation IV MBIR multipurpose fast neutron research reactor under construction in Russia have passed acceptance tests, allowing state nuclear corporation Rosatom researchers to move on to production of fuel for the initial loading of the reactor core.
Rosatom said the pilot fuel elements had been manufactured by researchers in the fuel technology department of the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR), part of its scientific division.
The MBIR is being built at NIIAR, in Dimitrovgrad, southwest Russia, as part of a Russian government programme to develop nuclear science and technology. It is scheduled for completion in 2026 and physical startup for 2027.
The MBIR will primarily use sodium as a coolant and vibro-packed mixed-oxide (VMOX) fuel. VMOX is a Russian variant of MOX fuel in which blended uranium-plutonium oxide powders and fresh uranium-oxide powder are loaded directly into the cladding tube of the fuel assembly instead of first being manufactured into pellets.
The reactor will be used for the development of materials for Generation IV fast neutron reactors.
Scientists will use it for experiments on the operating parameters of core components under normal and emergency conditions when using sodium, lead, lead-bismuth, gaseous and molten salt coolants.
According to earlier reports, the total cost of the project could be up to $1.5bn (€1.35bn), but no recent figures have been made public.
