Fuel Design Led by Fuel Performance for Novel Nuclear Systems

Through targeted experimental and modelling efforts, novel fuel forms are being developed based on mechanistic fuel performance predictions. The work presented will highlight key mechanistic behaviours of chromium doped oxide fuels, and gadolinium containing oxide fuels, linking to experimental observations through optical dilatometry, impedance spectroscopy, and simultaneous thermal analysis methods. This work is extended, to assess the behaviour of UCO with dopant and additives, both via experimental and modelling methods, before presenting current work underway with high thermal conductivity fuel forms, including fuels manufactured by additive manufacturing methods to provide benefits for performance in novel nuclear applications.