Westinghouse Electric Company has manufactured and assembled two nuclear fuel test assemblies for the Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor (SMR) at its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Columbia, South Carolina, US.
Westinghouse SMR is a 225MWe integral pressurized water reactor with all primary components located inside of the reactor vessel.
It uses passive safety systems and proven components as well as modular construction techniques to achieve the highest level of safety and reduced number of components required.
The company is also making final preparations on the two nuclear fuel assemblies before the hydraulic testing, during which the SMR reactor operation will be simulated to confirm acceptable performance of the fuel design.
Hydraulic testing of the fuel designs will continue through August 2013.
Westinghouse chief technology officer and senior vice president Kate Jackson said the completion of test fuel assemblies is a milestone in developing the Westinghouse SMR.
"Our SMR represents the future in energy technology offering an affordable, safe and secure source of zero-carbon energy," Jackson added.
Westinghouse has also filed a proposal in response to the Department of Energy (DOE) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to accelerate the deployment of SMR technology.
The DOE FOA seeks to facilitate the development of innovative SMR designs that can address the nation’s economic, environmental and energy security goals, while enhancing safety, operations, and performance relative to currently certified designs.