Materials Development for the Traveling Wave Reactor

The TerraPower Traveling Wave Reactor (TWR) concept envisions a fast reactor breed-and-burn core that initially starts on a combination of low-enriched uranium and depleted uranium, and then operates with additions of depleted uranium by in-situ breeding of its own fuel. TWRs can utilize depleted uranium stockpiles for fuel and produce significantly less spent-fuel waste than LWRs without reprocessing and with reduced enrichment. Perhaps the most significant constraint in TWR development, however, is the dose limit for the core materials and burnup limits for the fuel and clad. This talk will focus on present efforts toward TWR development, which includes: data analysis to support development of a creep and swelling model for HT9 ferritic/martensitic steel; an ion irradiation program for cladding and duct development, of both HT9 and, in the future, advanced materials; and a neutron irradiation test program to qualify materials to high doses.