The company said that enriched zirconium is designed into the WEC Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber (IFBA), which is the most extensively used absorber in Westinghouse pressurized water reactors.
Approximately $6.0m of the total award is included in Ceradyne’s existing revenue guidance for 2011.
A thin layer of ZrB2 on UO2 pellets is the optimal fuel design as it is integral to the fuel, can be entirely depleted, and provides excellent reactivity control.
Isotopically enriched zirconium diboride allows for the most efficient manufacturing process in the fabrication of nuclear fuels.
Westinghouse’s ZrB2 IFBA is a key element in achieving superior fuel cycle costs.
Ceradyne Boron Products operates a boron isotope separation facility providing enriched boron products for commercial nuclear power, defense, semiconductor, and neutron detection applications.
