The R and D Program in Support of Advanced Fuel Cycles for CANDU

Abstract

Advanced fuel cycles for CANDU reactors are well on their way to being implemented. The first step is slightly enriched uranium (SEU) which is economical today. A new fuel bundle is seen as the vehicle for all fuels in CANDU. CANDU fuel Sabricated from uranium recovered from fuel discharged from light- water rcactors (LWR) is also economical today and readily achicevable tcchnically. Future fuel cycles would utilizc plutonium recovered from light-water reactors or CANDUs and eventually thorium. R and D in support of thcsc cycles locuses on those topics that require a high degree of confidence in their implementation such as fuel fabrication and defect-free performance lo high burnup. Reactor physics codes and nuclear data for advanced fuel cycles will be validated against experiments.