A Graduated Approach to Addressing Strategic Improvements to CANDU Fuel Channels

Abstract

The nuclear industry has been challenged to address broader concerns that entail long-term research without guaranteed return on investment because of the significant to time between new builds, extended lifespan of reactors and the logistical difficulty of transitioning from conceptual research projects to solutions applicable to the reactors. Through a collaborative approach however, CANDU utilities can circumvent many of these challenges by investing in long-term opportunities with shared cost models and access to otherwise inaccessible or cost prohibitive subject matter expertise. Having completed the conceptual research and with a viable path forward identified, interested parties can then invest in a joint project solely to develop a product for industrywide consumption. This approach has been particularly effective with respect to supporting CANDU fuel channels which continue to operate toward their planned refurbishment targets and require extensive and ongoing measures to mitigate hydrogen / deuterium uptake. In support of this, cutting-edge inspection methods are being investigated with the risks and costs minimized even during the preliminary research through this collaboration.