At the Chepetsk Mechanical Plant (ChMZ – Chepetskom Mekhanicheskom Zavode), part of Rosatom’s TVEL Fuel Division, a pilot industrial site has been created for the production of fuel rod claddings with chrome coating. This structural material is one of the possible solutions for creating a new generation of advanced safety fuel (ATF – Advanced Technology Fuel). This improves the operational reliability of nuclear fuel, which increases reactor safety and efficiency.
To produce innovative fuel rod claddings, ChMP commissioned an installation for applying chromium coatings to claddings made of traditional zirconium alloy. The protective coating is applied directly to the long zirconium pipe by spraying. In addition, a modern complex of analytical and research equipment has been commissioned and mastered, which makes it possible to evaluate the adhesion, structure and thickness of the chrome coating, and can also be used for research on products produced and newly developed by the enterprise. A pilot batch of chrome-plated fuel rod claddings has now been produced.
“Since 2021, the VVER-1000 reactor at the Rostov NPP has undergone pilot operation of three combined fuel assemblies with separate fuel rods in the ATF version, said Alexander Ugryumov, TVEL Senior Vice President for Scientific & Technical Activities. “Moreover, each VVER-1000 fuel cassette contains 312 fuel rods. The commissioning of an industrial plant for the production of chrome-plated fuel rods at ChMZ will make it possible to produce several complete fuel cartridges in the ATF version, and their pilot industrial operation in a high-power reactor will be the next, final step for qualification and decision-making on the industrial production of Russian ATF fuel.”
Sergey Chineykin, General Director of ChMZ said participation in the project to develop new technologies for the production of nuclear fuel, was very important for ChMZ. “The launch of new high-tech domestic equipment for applying a protective coating to shells and the production of products with improved safety characteristics will in the future ensure the competitiveness of Russian nuclear fuel on the world market,” he noted.
Currently the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR) in Dimitrovgrad is implementing a large-scale testing programme for a wide range of different fuel cladding materials and ATF fuel pellets in the MIR research reactor. In 2022, the research programme was expanded: reactor testing of new fuel rods with uranium-silicide fuel of VVERs and pressurised water reactors began. Since 2021, in the VVER-1000 reactor at the Rostov NPP, pilot-industrial operation of three combined fuel assemblies with individual fuel rods in the ATF version has been underway. Chromium-nickel alloy 42ХНМ or zirconium alloy with chrome coating is used as a structural material.
