Chair(s): |
Nathalie CHAUVIN, France |
Secretary: |
Shahab DABIRAN-ZOHOORY (shahab.dabiran-zohoory@oecd-nea.org) |
---|---|---|---|
Member(s): | All NEA member countries* | ||
Russia (Suspended*) | |||
*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. | |||
EU participation: |
The European Union (EU) takes part in the work of the NEA, in accordance with the NEA Statute and the Supplementary Protocol to the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. | ||
Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
Date of creation: | 01 June 2008 | ||
End of mandate: | 31 March 2026 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from document [NEA/NSC/WPFC(2024)5/FINAL]
Background
As a result of the prioritisation effort in 2020, a reorganisation of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) activities was performed under the guidance of the NSC Bureau. This has resulted in the change of denomination and scope of the Working Party and the Expert Group to, respectively, the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) and the Expert Group on Innovative Fuel Elements (EGIFE).
Scope
Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) and the mandate of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC), the objective of the Expert Group on Innovative Fuel Elements (EGIFE) is to conduct joint and comparative studies to identify technical issues and support the development of innovative fuels that can be implemented in advanced nuclear fuel cycles.
The scope of the EGIFE covers the technical issues associated with the development of innovative fuels (oxide, metal, nitride and carbide fuels, and special mechanical forms), including cladding, targeted for use in advanced fuel cycles and Generation IV systems. The fuel types of interest for EGIFE are those foreseen for driver fuels (i.e. uranium or uranium-plutonium fuels) as well as fuels dedicated to minor actinide (MA) transmutation considered for advanced fuel cycles and Generation IV systems.
The following technical issues associated with innovative fuel development are covered by EGIFE:
Objectives
The EGIFE will:
1. R&D on innovative fuels
2. Irradiation results and benchmark with fuel performance codes
3. Fuel Properties
Interactions
The expert group will liaise closely with other NEA bodies, in particular the Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS) and its Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance (EGRFP) and the Expert Group on Reactors Multi-Physics (EGMUP); the Working Party on Material Science Issues in Nuclear Fuels and Structural Materials (WPFM), in order to ensure the respective work programmes are complementary, to provide advice and support as required and to undertake joint work as appropriate.
In addition, the expert group will work in co-operation with other international organisations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Commission (EC).
Deliverables
The deliverables of EGIFE are technical reports, proceedings of seminars/ workshops, state-of-the-art reports, and technical or collective opinion papers, databases, and comparison or benchmark studies. This work will be done in task or benchmark groups, whose work will be organised in a project-like manner with outcomes and milestones. The EGIFE will also organise specialist meetings and workshops to further its objectives. The detailed list of deliverables will be tracked in the semi-annual NSC progress reports.