NuScale Power has signed a contract with AREVA Inc. for nuclear fuel design and related testing services.

Under this contract, AREVA will adapt its proven HTP pressurised water reactor fuel design to be used in the Design Certification Application of NuScale’s 50MWe small modular nuclear reactor (SMR).

AREVA will also provide a diverse range of analyses, including fuel critical heat flux and component flow-induced vibration, and control rod assembly drop alignment tests.

NuScale indends to submit a design licensing application to the NRC in 2016, and hopes for the reactor to be deployed from 2023.

Earlier this month AREVA annouced that it had completed fuel fabrication and testing services for the nuclear energy technology company TerraPower. Founded in 2006 by a group of investors, including Bill Gates, TerraPower is developing a 600MWe nuclear reactor prototype.

Read more about the TerraPower design.


Photo: Close up of the NuScale reactor core (Credit: NuScale)