On Advanced Nuclear Fuels for Water-Cooled Reactors in Canada

Abstract of the technical paper/presentation presented at:
IAEA TM on the Licensing of Advanced Nuclear Fuels for Water-Cooled Reactors
18-22 October 2021

Prepared by:
Ho Chun Suk, Wade Grant, Michel Couture
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Abstract:

Advanced nuclear-fuels for water-cooled reactors have become a topic of international interest since the March 2011 events at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan. This paper reviews the expectations for advanced nuclear-fuels from a Canadian regulatory perspective. We begin by providing an overview of the CANDU fuel design evolution in Canada, focusing on the main drivers of this evolution.  We then provide a Canadian regulatory perspective regarding advanced nuclear-fuels for water-cooled reactors, beginning with the cases of existing and new CANDU reactors, followed by the general cases of water-cooled reactors, including SMRs. This perspective, based on CNSC staff’s involvement in numerous international activities and interactions with designers and licensees, includes a discussion of requirements and guidance provided by CNSC regulatory documents, CSA standards, and international guidance.  The paper concludes by providing our expectations regarding constraints that advanced nuclear-fuel designs for commercial water-cooled reactors will likely be required to satisfy.  At this moment, the CNSC has requirements related to nuclear-fuel design within the regulatory framework that are technology neutral and require that industry would need to qualify the fuel and assess the impacts on the safety case.

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