Decouple The Fuels Powering Nuclear's Biggest Promises
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Mar 5, 2026 Michael Seeley, a nuclear fuel expert known for deep technical explanations, walks through TRISO, UO2, metallic and cermet fuels. He discusses TRISO structure, fabrication costs and scaling challenges. He compares UO2’s thermal limits with metal fuel advantages, explores HALEU supply and reprocessing practicalities, and outlines economic and deployment hurdles for advanced fuel types.
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High Cost Of HALEU TRISO Comes From Feedstock And Manufacturing
- HALEU feedstock and TRISO fabrication are both far costlier than LEU UO2: HALU uranium plus TRISO layering drives raw uranium+fabrication into many thousands $/kg.
- TRISO fabrication faces high reject rates because billions of tiny kernels must be perfectly spherical and uniformly coated.
Get TRISO Quality Right Before Expecting Cheap Fuel
- Prioritize reliable repeatable TRISO production before chasing low costs; current focus is demo lines and quality control.
- Invest in automation and scale because cost reductions require large markets and tight process control.
Scaling TRISO Requires Near‑Perfect Quality Assurance
- TRISO makers must use sampling and destructive testing because billions of kernels preclude 100% inspection; regulators will demand extremely low failure rates.
- Even small increases in defective kernels can trigger operational shutdowns and regulatory pushback.