The Engineering Laboratory of High Security Accident Tolerant Fuel Technology for Nuclear Power Plant (ATF Engineering Laboratory) — China's first in the field – was recently approved by the Shenzhen government and has become an official facility of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN).

Accident tolerant fuel (ATF) is a new-generation nuclear fuel that can fundamentally enhance nuclear reactor safety, effectively alleviate consequences of any accident and protect the public and the environment from radioactive contamination.

The laboratory will cover a test site of 6,500 square meters (0.65 hectare) and be well-equipped with large-scale test equipment such as LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident) operating facility, stimulation RIA (Reactivity-Initiated Accident) testing apparatus, and a facility to study the flow effect on corrosion.

Platforms for out-of-reactor tests of advanced ATF materials, microscopic tests and high-accuracy ATF service performance numerical simulations will also be built to support the complete advanced fuel testing technology and research capability of the theoretical evaluation system.

The lab will be the first engineering test platform dedicated to out-of-reactor performance testing and evaluation of ATF reactors in China. It is of great significance in improving the R&D capacity in the advanced fuel field and further consolidating the domestic leading position of CGN.

It will also keep China’s ATF technology and innovative drive at the forefront of the world, and enable the country to become the leader in nuclear power safety.

CGN was assigned to lead the AFT R&D project in 2015. Supported by major nuclear power projects in China, it assembled a group of research institutes such as the State Power Investment C, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Academy of Engineering Physics to form a national team committed to ATF technological R&D and creation of a nuclear fuel industrial alliance.

At present, a series of achievements have been obtained in independent intellectual property rights, conceptual design, software development, material design and development, and out-of-reactor performance testing.

CGN began neutron irradiation tests for the candidate materials for ATF on Dec 21, 2017 and has focused on development of fuel models and their applications in projects since then. It will strive to meet the requirements for commercial reactor applications of ATF components within five years.