The H Canyon chemical separations facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina is preparing to recycle its used, highly enriched uranium (HEU) and down blend it to provide fuel for advanced nuclear reactors in the United States.
The recycled fuel, called "high-assay low-enriched uranium" (HALEU), is in high demand due to the benefits it provides for nuclear power reactor designs., according to an Office of Environmental Management (EM) press release. The fuel allows for smaller reactor designs, longer life cores, increased fuel efficiency, and produces less waste.
“The projected demand for HALEU far exceeds the current supply,” HALEU Program Manager, Jeff Hasty, manager of production with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, said in the release. “Because of H Canyon’s most recent mission of blending HEU into LEU for commercial fuel reactors, H Canyon has stored HEU solutions available for use.”
Savannah River completed several analyses to show how the down blending of HEU from H Canyon liquid solutions could meet the specifications required for advanced reactors, the release stated. This research helped the Savannah River National Laboratory initiate the HALEU project in H Canyon, the Energy Department reported.
“SRNL plays a major role in the research of the nuclear fuel cycle research and development and is always excited to see our efforts applied in real-world applications,” said SRNL Environmental and Legacy Management Deputy Associate Laboratory Director, Bill Bates.
The H Canyon chemical separations facility is repairing equipment, training staff, implementing procedure revisions, and performing an environmental impact analysis to prepare for the recycling and down-blending effort, according to the release.
The SRNL is also supporting the effort by completing a detailed set of analyses to ensure the HALEU meets reactor material specifications, the release stated. The laboratory is also working to certify shipping containers for material transport.
Down blending is expected to begin in 2025, according to the Energy Department.
“This approval is a win-win,” Hasty said. “H Canyon has a useful path for the stored HEU, and at the same time, HALEU availability is increased for the emerging advanced reactors.”
