Idaho to receive spent TRIGA fuel from Penn State

The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management announced last week that it is preparing to receive a shipment of spent nuclear fuel from Penn State University's research reactor. The fuel is being shipped to Idaho National Laboratory for research purposes.

DOE-EM said crews with the Idaho Cleanup Project recently fabricated and tested four stainless steel canisters that will be used to receive and store the used TRIGA fuel. ("TRIGA" stands for "Training, Research, Isotope, General Atomics.")

In 2023, Penn State's Radiation Science and Engineering Center received 30 TRIGA fuel elements for use in the center's Breazeale Reactor. The first new TRIGA fuel shipped to the United States since 2012, it was produced by TRIGA International, a joint venture between General Atomics and Framatome.

Settlement agreement: Research reactor fuel is eligible for return to DOE facilities once it is no longer needed. The shipment of the used TRIGA fuel to INL is being made possible through a 2025 agreement signed by the state of Idaho and the DOE that allows a waiver to the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement, which set milestones for the DOE to remove legacy waste from the state while allowing nuclear energy research and development at the lab. The waiver allows INL to receive and store used TRIGA fuel for the first time in decades, according to DOE-EM.

The canisters: Fabricated at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center, the TRIGA fuel canisters were made using specialized tools by ICP contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition. Using the tools, IEC rolled sheets of stainless steel to form the body of the canisters and to craft their bases and lids.

"I'm proud of our team and their effort. Completing these canisters is crucial to ultimately receiving and safely storing future TRIGA fuel shipments," said Kasey Baisch, an IEC manager.

Crews also performed load-bearing tests to ensure each canister could be handled safely while containing TRIGA fuel.

"Their work not only supports the safe storage of TRIGA fuel but also reinforces our commitment to advancing cleanup and critical research at the INL Site and at universities across the country," IEC Used Nuclear Fuel Project manager Carla Ellsworth said.