Framatome’s GAIA EATF Technology Completes Its First-Ever Fuel Cycle

Framatome’s GAIA Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel (EATF) technology recently completed its first 18-month fuel cycle at a nuclear power plant in the US.

The French company, ENS Corporate Member, said this marks the first time a full-length EATF concept with both pellets and cladding has completed a fuel cycle in a reactor.

The plant’s experts removed and inspected the four lead fuel assemblies (LFAs) during a refueling outage in August and concluded that the fuel demonstrated expected results and excellent performance.

The GAIA fuel assemblies consist of Framatome’s advanced chromium coating added to the state-of-the-art M5 zirconium alloy cladding, and chromium-enhanced fuel pellets.

The chromium-coated cladding improves high-temperature oxidation resistance and reduces hydrogen generation in the unlikely event of loss of cooling.

Read the full Framatome Press Release.