Fuel Rod
Long, thin tube (zirconium alloy cladding) filled with stacked UO2 pellets and helium plenum. ~4m long, 1cm diameter; groups form assemblies.
Holds 300-400 pellets (~10g U each); gap between pellet and cladding allows swelling. Operates at 300-350°C under 15 MPa pressure. Control rods insert between fuel rods. Lifetime fission gas release <1%.
Why it matters now
Fuel rods central to burnup extension for economic dispatch in 2025-2026 restart markets. ATF variants address safety for prolonged data center baseload.