Brazilian Navy advances its nuclear program with delivery of first uranium pellets

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian Navy’s nuclear program is making steady progress, and the contract signed between the Navy’s Technology Center in São Paulo and Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) to produce uranium oxide (UO2) pellets has begun delivery.

Between August and December 2021, test pellets with an energy equivalent of about three barrels of oil were produced to be integrated into the nuclear fuel of the Laboratory for the Generation of Nuclear Power (Labgene).

After production, these pellets will be subjected to several tests to validate the fuel assembly project from a nuclear safety perspective to meet the licensing process’s requirements.

NUCLEAR SUBMARINE

The production of UO2 pellets at INB for Labgene is an example of the development of the uranium production chain resulting from homegrown technology developed and implemented in Brazil, enabling the progress of the Navy’s nuclear program aimed at procuring a nuclear-powered submarine.

In November 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Navy’s General Directorate of Nuclear and Technological Development and the INB for cooperation in developing nuclear technology and production processes based on the complementary skills and resources of both institutions.

With information from Infodefensa