Improved fuel management strategies for TVA'S nuclear reactors

TVA currently has five operating nuclear reactors and four more under construction. A substantial effort has been made in the last 7 years to find improved fuel designs and improved fuel management strategies for these reactors. Originally the operations units started out using 12-month cycles with low expected discharge batch burnups. The first major improvement was the use of 18-month cycles in order to reduce system generation costs, although the nuclear fuel cost was increased. In addition, the Browns Ferry (BWR) units began using, or will use in the future, end-of-cycle coastdown, control cell core, and GE's barrier fuel. The Sequoyah (PWR) units are now using Westinghouse's wet annular burnable absorbers and low leakage loading patterns. TVA has also been actively pursuing the use of higher burnup fuel assemblies for both operating plants. It appears, however, based on recent calculations, that Browns Ferry may be reaching a plateau in fuel cost saving due to higher burnup