Clad tidings

Despite all the technology used to enrich uranium and package the fuel efficiently, nuclear reactors are not particularly fuel-efficient.

A large proportion of the fuel in each pellet goes unused. This has nothing to do with the fuel itself, the engineering of the reactor or its ancillary systems. it's the fault of the cladding material surrounding the pellets.

A team from three UK universities is collaborating with several of the largest nuclear industry players in a five-year project to develop better cladding materials. The project could result in reactors which have to shut down less frequently for refuelling, making them more efficient and reducing the amount of waste they produce, explained project leader Michael Preuss of

. And just as importantly, he said, it will provide valuable training for a new generation of nuclear engineers.

The current generation of nuclear reactors, using light water cooling technology, consume fuel packaged in a cladding made from alloys of zirconium, explained Preuss. These are transparent to neutrons, so they don't interfere in the nuclear reactions which take place in the reactor.