The main mission of the NEA Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS) is to advance the current understanding and address cross-cutting issues related to fuel behaviour in accident conditions, including work on associated aspects of thermal-hydraulics, oxidation, chemistry, mechanical behaviour and reactor physics.
Experts from 17 countries and one international organisation met on 17-19 September for the 25th WGFS annual meeting in Paris.
Members exchanged information on the status of their national nuclear industry, research activities and regulatory frameworks related to nuclear fuel and heard updates about ongoing NEA Joint Projects related to nuclear fuel, including the Studsvik Cladding Integrity Project (SCIP), the Framework for Irradiation Experiments (FIDES-II), Cabri Water Loop International Project and QUENCH-ATF.
A commemorative cartoon by Nicolas Waeckel.
Marking 25 years of international collaboration in WGFS, members took the occasion to celebrate the past and look toward the future in a dedicated anniversary seminar. Former WGFS chairs and many long-serving members rejoined the current delegates to reflect on the past, celebrate the achievements of the group and discuss future activities. It was a great occasion to take stock of what can be accomplished when experts in their field share their knowledge, experience and opinions in such a unique forum. On a few occasions, members recalled the productive and synergistic relationship between the WGFS and Joint Project activities, especially the Halden Reactor Project and Cabri Water Loop International Project. In the discussion portion of the seminar, members expressed their commitment to cultivate deeper co-operation with today’s ongoing Joint Projects, connecting to a key recommendation of the NEA Nuclear Safety Research Joint Projects Week, held in 2023.
