Framatome products

Advanced Fuel Management (AFM) is a globally integrated Framatome program designed to deliver fuel with higher enrichment and burnup limits. Enriching uranium oxide past the traditional 5 weight percent thresholds combined with our latest technology allows you to maximize your energy production. The increases in enrichment and burnup open the door to improved economic performance by extracting more cycle energy from your reactor core and reducing Operations & Maintenance (O&M) costs. The AFM program encompasses all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle including enrichment services, regulatory licensing and fuel fabrication infrastructure.

Pellet quality is a key requirement for the fabrication process of fuel rods and fuel assemblies. Manual pellet sorting is not the preferred solution as it results in higher defect detection slippages. The inspection criteria to the required pellet quality level cannot be adjusted for the complete production lot. Furthermore, the operators are exposed to radiation over longer periods. The Automatic Pellet Inspection System (APIS) technology--in full operation since 2007--replaces human visual inspection to improve quality, performance, and safety of the pellet fabrication; enabling huge benefits at Framatome plants.

Framatome has developed, qualified, and deployed tooling and processes to support the current and future needs of BWR Control Rod Drive (CRD) Housing repairs. We worked with EPRI to develop the standard BWRVIP-58A repair for CRD housings and the tooling to implement the CRD housing repair design geometries. In addition, we designed the repair based on its experience with PWR head penetrations utilizing code case N-638.

In the early stages of developing a wear-resistant RCCA, we performed sliding wear tests to determine the best wear treatment. These tests were conducted in the Frotteau Test Loop in France on Ion-Nitride tubes, Chrome Carbide-coated tubes, Armoloy-coated tubes (both 0.3 mils and 0.6 mils thickness) and uncoated stainless steel tubes. The tests confirmed that Ion-Nitride provided the best wear protection for both the RCCA and guide card, extending RCCA life.