Objective: Provide data to further the understanding of microstructural evolution of fuel materials for use in higher temperature, Generation IV type reactors.

Facilities: Advanced Test Reactor (United States) 

Core Group: INL, NRC (United States), CEA (France), NRG (Netherlands), Westinghouse (Sweden)

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The Generation IV reactor types of consideration include sodium cooled fast reactors (SFR), lead cooled fast reactors (LFR), gas-cooled fast reactors (GFR), very high-temperature reactor (VHTR), as well as modern design light-water reactors (LWR). AToMiC will utilise the Fission Accelerated Steady-state Testing (FAST) method where scaled fuel designs have been shown to achieve high burnups in fractions of the time of conventional fuel tests while still maintaining near-prototypic irradiation conditions and behaviours.

The planned programme of work to be conducted in 2024-2027 includes testing of metallic fuels with advanced cladding, advanced tri-isotropic structural fuel (TRISO), and advanced mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel.