In the 1980s, another program direction change was made to a low enriched UO2 TRISO-coated particle system coupled with high-quality manufacturing specifications designed to meet new HTR plant design needs. These needs included requirements for inherent safety under normal operation and accident conditions.
Again, the German fuel development program met and exceeded these challenges by manufacturing and qualifying the low-enriched UO2 TRISO-fuel system for HTR systems with steam generation, gas-turbine systems and very high temperature process heat applications.
Fuel elements were manufactured in production scale facilities that contained near defect free UO2 TRISO coated particles, homogeneously distributed within a graphite matrix with very low levels of uranium contamination. Good irradiation performance for these elements was demonstrated under normal operating conditions to 12 % FIMA and under accident conditions not exceeding 1600 ¡ãC.