The Gd-isotopic fuel for high burnup in PWR's

Today, the discussion about the high burnup fuel is beyond the current fuel enrichment licensing and burnup limits. Licensing issues and material/design developments are again key features in further development of the LWR fuel design. Nevertheless, technological and economical solutions are already available or will be available in a short time. In order to prevent the growth of the technological gap, Brazil's nuclear sector needs to invest in the training of new human resources, in the access to international databases, and in the upgrading existing infrastructure. Experimental database and R&D infrastructure are essential components to support the autonomous development of Brazilian Nuclear Reactors, promoting the development of national technologies. The (U,Gd)O₂ isotopic fuel proposed by the CDTN's staff solve two main issues in the high burnup fuel, which are (1) the peak of reactivity resulting from the Gd-157 fast burnup, and (2) the peak of temperature in the (U,Gd)O₂ nuclear fuel resulting from detrimental effects in the thermal properties for gadolinia additions higher than 2%. A sustainable future can be envisaged for the nuclear energy. (author)