Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
2/21/2014
B&W announced this week a new a partnership with TerraPower to provide design and support services for TerraPower’s traveling wave reactor (TWR) design. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding that said B&W will provide support services that may include “design and fabrication of engineered components; fuel fabrication process development, prototype fabrication, fuel services; reactor design engineering; reactor operations support; staff augmentation, both U.S. and foreign assignment; engineering services; flow loop testing; licensing support; and materials testing,” according to the company. “B&W is privileged to be selected as a strategic supplier for the TerraPower development program,” B&W Nuclear Energy President Joe Zwetolitz said in the release. “We have a long tradition of providing industry leading engineering, manufacturing and services and look forward to supporting TerraPower and to participating in the development of the next generation technology.” B&W did not respond to calls for further comment this week.
TerraPower is working on a TWR design that aims at closing the nuclear loop. Current reactors operate in an open loop, in which spent fuel and radioactive waste by-products from the process are not capable of being re-used. However, TWRs re-process these wastes by using waves that breed and then burn the fuel over and over again within the reactor. “B&W’s valuable involvement with TerraPower includes work done through affiliate Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. for development of the TWR fuel supply chain,” said TerraPower Senior Vice President Doug Adkisson in a release. “This MOU with B&W makes it possible for us to tap the nuclear industry’s excellence and keep American companies active in the international supply chain for advanced nuclear energy technologies.” TerraPower declined to comment further on the agreement than what the release said.