In accordance with relevant European and international strategic documents (e. g. Strategic Energy Technology plan, Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, OECD/NEA Technology Roadmap for Nuclear Energy and others) the FREDMANS project focuses on techniques that target safe and secure recycling of nuclear fuel as a valid option for the future by bringing together the expertise in these techniques being studied by the different communities in order to further their development better through collaboration. In so doing, FREDMANS builds on the knowledge collected in previous relevant European projects. Crucially, FREDMANS builds direct bridges between the traditionally separate fuel manufacturing and recycle chemistry communities.
In Europe today, the main bulk of fuel recycle activities concern so-called mixed oxide fuels (MOX) which have reached the highest Technology Readiness Level (TRL) due to its long industrial development history and similarities with the traditional uranium dioxide (UO2) fuel. However, in order to achieve the desired more effective, considerably safer and more secure nuclear systems, more advanced fuels may be needed. One of the most promising candidates are nitrides, which together with carbides have higher thermal conductivity and high fissile density compared to MOX fuel. Nitride fuels are also targeted as Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) for LWRs and so there is the opportunity to develop manufacturing and recycle technology that can used throughout the transition
to safer Light Water Reactors (LWR) and then to fast reactor fleets which are the only truly sustainable fission technology. Advanced nuclear fuels in FREDMANS comprise nitride, carbide and inert matrix fuels. In all these areas, there are still sizeable gaps in knowledge to be obtained before any process for the manufacturing, operation and recycling of these fuels can take place at large scale.
The FREDMANS project creates a foundation for greater industrial maturity of these fuels. The underpinning idea is that even if these fuels have superior behaviour in-reactor, they cannot be effective for a sustainable Gen IV fuel cycle unless their recyclability is proven and preferably can be integrated with existing or similar future separation systems.
Therefore, the FREDMANS project's main objective is to provide a structured R&D framework integrating the research on advanced fuel fabrication and reprocessing issues, together with addressing the associated different waste fractions and the industrial application of the results. In pursuit of this aim, FREDMANS will focus on the following pillars for the selected fuel types:
- Dissolution (of irradiated and unirradiated fuel)
- Conversion (from solution to a solid precursor)
- Fabrication (microspheres and pellets using advanced techniques such as additive manufacturing and spark plasma sintering)
- Handling of the waste from the above processes
- Safety of the selected processes.
In order to create a well-structured basis to generate technological innovations that both take advantage of the common properties of advanced fuels and at the same time address the specificities that exist, FREDMANS adopts a structure for the scientific work packages as follows:
- Manufacturing Methods (WP1)
- Recyclability (WP2)
- Waste Management Methods (WP3)
- Industrial Applications (WP4)
The scientific work in FREDMANS is completed by WP5 Education and Training, which works in close collaboration with other training programmes (e.g. those run by ENEN and IAEA). Nuclear energy needs excellent scientists able to shape the future changes required for a net zero emission energy system, innovative engineers able to design new concepts of nuclear reactors and fuel cycles, and technicians able to build the infrastructure for a sustainable economy. Excellence in science is closely linked to excellence in education, and this is why an ambitious and coherent education and training programme is proposed to be implemented under FREDMANS.
Finally, to reach the excellence in the described WPs, the dedicated WP6 Project Management is in place to ensure effective management and administrative support to all project activities.
