CEAandAREVAR&DonHTRfuelfabricationandpresentationoftheCAPRIexperimentalmanufacturinglineOriginalResearchArticle

IntheframeworkoftheFrenchV/HTRfueldevelopmentandqualificationprogram,theCommissariatàl’EnergieAtomique(CEA)andAREVAareconductingR&DprojectscoveringthemasteringofUO2coatedparticleandfuelcompactfabricationtechnology.Tofulfillthistask,areviewofpastknowledge,ofexistingtechnologiesandapreliminarylaboratory-scaleworkprogramhavebeenconductedwiththeaimofretrievingtheknow-howonHTRcoatedparticleandcompactmanufacture: • ThedifferentstagesofUO2kernelfabricationGSPprocesshavebeenreviewed,reproducedandimproved. • Theexperimentalconditionsforthechemicalvapordepositionofcoatingshavebeendefinedondummykernelsanddevelopmentofinnovativecharacterizationmethodshasbeencarriedout. • FormerCERCAcompactingprocesshasbeenreviewedandupdated. Inparallel,anexperimentalmanufacturinglineforcoatedparticles,namedGAIA,andacompactinglinebasedonformerCERCAcompactingexperiencehavebeendesigned,constructedandareinoperationsinceearly2005atCEACadaracheandCERCARomans,respectively.ThesetwofacilitiesconstitutetheCAPRIline(CEAandAREVAPRoductionIntegratedline). ThemajorobjectivesoftheCAPRIlineare: • torecoverandvalidatepastknowledge, • toproducerepresentativeHTRTRISOfuelmeetingindustrialstandards, • topermittheoptimizationofreferencefabricationprocessesforkernelsandcoatingsdefinedpreviouslyatalaboratory-scaleandtheinvestigationofalternativeandinnovativefueldesign(UCOkernel,ZrCcoating), • totestalternativecompactprocessoptionsand • tofabricateandcharacterizefuelrequiredforirradiationandqualificationpurpose. ThispaperpresentsthestatusofprogressofR&DconductedonHTRfuelparticlesandcompactmanufacturebyearly2005andthepotentialofthelaboratory-scaleHTRfuelCAPRIline.