TopFuel is an annual topical meeting organised by ENS, the American Nuclear Society as well as the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, the Chinese Nuclear Society and the Korean Nuclear Society.

TopFuel brings together leading specialists in the field from around the world. For three days they share advances in nuclear fuel management technology in discussions and presentations. Participants can then use the findings of the latest cutting-edge research in their daily professional lives to design, manufacture, operate and dispose of the high-performance nuclear fuels of today and tomorrow.

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Programme

The Technical Programme of TopFuel 2024 is available here.

Learn more about the TopFuel 2024 Innovation Day here.

Technical Tours

FULLY BOOKED – CORYS – Grenoble

© CORYS FA3 PMC line simulator generated with Unreal Engine

CORYS has its headquarters in Grenoble, close to the Minatec centre.

Simulation subsidiary of the FRAMATOME group, CORYS is a world leader in dynamic simulation for training and engineering of complex systems in the nuclear power generation, process industries and rail transport markets. CORYS offers innovative and high-tech solutions (dynamic modelling, emulators, cloud …). Building on over 30 years of experience and multiple simulator projects, CORYS has developed a consistent set of tools to support the conceptual design and licensing of nuclear reactors.

The visit will highlight a number of developments in the energy sector, particularly in nuclear fuel management.

CORYS is developing a training simulator for EDF for the PMC line (Fuel Handling) operators at the FA3 power plant. The simulator is a replica of the two operator stations, for the reactor and fuel buildings, required for fuel loading/unloading operations during refuelling. The fuel transfer system between the two buildings is also represented. The 3D HMI as it is to be displayed on their video screens is produced in UNREAL Engine on the basis of CAD models supplied by EDF and REEL.

CORYS is also involved in the support team of ARCADIA, Framatome’s code system for neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/thermo-mechanic analysis.

While improving on the physics from previous code generations, ARCADIA has been developed for implementation in an industrial environment. It provides the best insight into the core while making use of modern computing possibilities, and offers a modern, ergonomic software design that empowers engineers to deliver.

Find out more about CORYS simulation: https://www.corys.com/en/power-simulation/

Schedule

8:45 AM – Meeting at CORYS

11:00 AM – End of the tour

FULLY BOOKED – CEA INNOVATION Showroom & ARC-Nucléart – Grenoble

  • The CEA INNOVATION showroom brings the latest developments in science and technology coming out of CEA labs to life through around a hundred demonstrators.
    Located at Y.SPOT LABS, the 320 sqm showroom is organized around the grand challenges the CEA’s Technology Research Division addresses, from digital, energy, and health to defense and security.
    The demonstrators are designed to show how the technologies developed at the CEA can be integrated into use cases in many of France’s flagship industries, helping bring the nation’s industrial economy into the future. The CEA’s deep tech startup program is also covered in a separate area: the Deep Tech Corner. A total of 228 startups have been founded to develop and commercialize CEA technologies since 1972. These companies have the agility it takes to help disruptive technologies from CEA labs find their markets.
  • ARC-Nucléart is a conservation-restoration workshop and research laboratory, internationally recognized for its unique skills in heritage conservation and restoration. Located on the CEA site in Grenoble, it is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of works and elements made from organic materials.
    With premises equipped with high-tech installations, spread over an area of ​​3000 m2, and relying on a multidisciplinary team (chemists, physicists, technicians, restorers, curators, administrative staff) ARC-Nucléart works to safeguard heritage , working for municipalities, museums, or archaeological operators. 
Schedule

8.45am: security check at MINATEC entrance 

9.30am-10.30am : visit of the CEA Innovation Showroom 

10.45am-11.45am : visit of Arc Nucleart 

11.45am-12.00pm: Check-out and end of visit 

FULLY BOOKED – Framatome’s fuel manufacturing facility – Romans sur Isère

Fuel assembly workshop at Romans sur Isère. Ph. Framatome

 

The Framatome’s fuel manufacturing facility for nuclear power plants and research reactors is located in Romans sur Isère.

This site is also the Framatome’s development centre for fuel research and medical-use products. It is home to leading innovations in fuel design and fabrication, with expertise in uranium metal-based alloys as part of its CERCA brand, and uranium-based medical irradiation targets as part of its Framatome Healthcare brand. Every year, the facility delivers about 200 fuel elements to research centres and universities, while around 30 million out of the 45 million nuclear medical examinations carried out worldwide, use medical targets produced by Framatome at Romans sur Isère.

Find out more about the Framatome’s fuel manufacturing facility in Romans sur Isère.

Schedule

7:30 AM – Bus departure from the MINATEC Centre
By 3 PM – Bus return to Grenoble

 

Sponsored by

FULLY BOOKED – Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) – Grenoble

The high-flux reactor at ILL is one of the world’s most intense neutron sources for research. Ph. Jean Louis Baudet

 

The Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) is based in Grenoble, just next to the MINATEC Centre.

ILL is an international research centre at the leading edge of neutron science and technology. As the world’s flagship centre for neutron science, the ILL provides scientists with a very high flux of neutrons feeding some 40 state-of-the-art instruments, which are constantly being developed and upgraded. The ILL High-Flux Reactor generally operates four 50-day cycles per year, providing 200 days for science. As a service institute, the ILL makes its facilities and expertise available to visiting scientists. Every year, about 1400 researchers from over 40 countries visit the ILL and 1000 experiments selected by a scientific review committee are performed. Research focuses primarily on fundamental science in a variety of fields: condensed matter physics, chemistry, biology, nuclear physics, materials science, etc.

Find out more about the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL).

Schedule

Group 1

8:45 AM – Meeting at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL)
11:00 AM – End of the tour

 

Group 2

11:00 AM – Meeting at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL)
1:00 PM – End of the tour

Registration

The Technical Tours are included in the registration fee.

The maximum size of each group is limited and participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.

When the registrations are open, please fill in the appropriate section of the form and the required information for the security check.

Social Programme

 

Networking is a major benefit of the TopFuel Conference. The social events help connect conference delegates and are included in the registration fee.

Discover Grenoble

With its unique blend of mountain lifestyle and cosmopolitan culture, Grenoble stands out in France and Europe. Grenoble has history, culture, and extraordinary wrapped together!

On Sunday 29 September, you will have the opportunity to join one of two guided city tours, each offering a unique perspective on Grenoble’s rich history and vibrant culture.

The historic centre of Grenoble

This walk through the ancient city offers you a great journey into the fabulous history of Grenoble which is more than 2,000 years old.
Historical monuments and old residences bear witness to this, such as the former Palace of Parliament, the cathedral and Stendhal’s home.

Street Art

Thanks to the Street Art Fest Grenoble Alpes, an annual festival since 2015, the city has become a hotspot for this fascinating form of expression that is Street Art. Every year, the Grenoble metropolis is enriched with new works, tiny or monumental, produced on various media, by Grenoble artists, French or foreign, famous or unknown. At the end of this guided tour, Street Art, its artists and its techniques will no longer hold any secrets for you.

The tours will take place from 10.30 AM to 12 PM on Sunday 29 September, leaving you free to take part in the activities of the Innovation Day organized in the afternoon.

Welcome Reception

Get in touch before the conference starts at the TopFuel 2024 Welcome Reception. The Welcome Reception will take place from 5 PM to 8.30 PM on Sunday 29 September at the MINATEC Conference venue. It will be accompanied by a Pre-registration which ensures smooth registration prior to the conference.

Sponsored by

Conference Dinner

The Conference Dinner of TopFuel 2024 will take place on Tuesday 1 October 2024 at the Domaine Clairfontaine.
Domaine Clairfontaine is a prestigious 18th-century residence nestled in a two-hectare park of greenery and an incredible natural setting with the surrounding mountains. Since its beginnings, Domaine Clairfontaine has seen a succession of luxurious receptions and influential people from the Grenoble region, and it is in the continuity of the history of the places that we will enjoy the TopFuel 2024 Conference dinner.

The Social Programme is included in the registration for TopFuel 2024 delegates.
Please fill in the relevant sections of the registration form to confirm your registration for the different parts of the Social Programme.

It is possible to purchase tickets for accompanying persons.

Programme Committee

STAY INFORMED

Click here to be added to the mailing list of TopFuel.

Info Point

TopFuel 2024 – Venue

TopFuel 2024 will take place at the Maison MINATEC Congress Centre in Grenoble, France. 

MINATEC is the deep-tech Innovation Campus in the heart of the Grenobles-Alps high-tech ecosystem. This international hub for micro and nanotechnology research is home to 3,000 researchers, 1,200 students, and 600 business and technology transfer experts. The Congress Centre hosts more than 600 events (meetings, conferences, seminars, etc.) and welcomes 40,000 visitors every year.

Find out more about the venue.

HOW TO GET THERE

Grenoble has a well-developed urban transport system. The MINATEC Congress Center is directly linked to the Grenoble city centre and the railway station (via Tram B, Cité Internationale stop).

Further details on alternative options (buses, taxis…) are available on Grenoble Tourisme.

ACCOMODATION

Grenoble offers a range of hotels all along the itinerary from the city centre to MINATEC. Here you can find lists of recommended hotels in a walking distance or tramway distance from the venue.

ABOUT Grenoble

At the end of every street, a mountain”. This is the fitting description that the famous 19th-century French writer Stendhal made of his hometown. Grenoble is indeed nestled at the foot of the French Alps, on the banks of the Isére river. The mountain soul of the city, which hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics, offers many outdoor and sports activities, like skiing, hiking, and climbing. But the second nature of the town is innovation. Grenoble has indeed grown to be one of Europe’s most important research and technology centres, with one in five inhabitants working directly in these fields.

VISA

Citizens from countries outside of the Schengen area might need a visa to enter France. Check here if you need a visa. 

Upon request, the European Nuclear Society will prepare a visa invitation letter for delegates whose registration fees were received in full. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to give any further support to the visa application process. Obtaining a visa remains the sole responsibility of the participant. Regular cancellation deadlines apply, regardless of whether your visa was granted or not. 

 

ORGANISER

European Nuclear Society

Avenue des Arts 56
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Email: conferences@euronuclear.org 

Call for Papers

TopFuel’s primary objective is to bring together leading international specialists in the field, from operators and engineering companies, designers and manufacturers, research institutes and universities, regulators and technical supporting organizations, to share experiences and advances in nuclear fuel technology, and to use the findings of the latest cutting-edge research to achieve high reliability, performance and safety of nuclear fuels for today and tomorrow.

The TopFuel 2024 Programme Committee is calling for both oral and poster presentations in the following tracks:

  • Track 1. Operation and experience
  1. Fuel operating experience and performance: reliability and leakers, fuel assembly and component distortion, degradation and failures, handling issues, water-side corrosion and hydriding, stress corrosion cracking, poolside examination and hot cell PIE;
  2. Fuel assembly repair and reconstitution;
  3. Failed fuel monitoring, water chemistry and corrosion/crud/dose countermeasures;
  4. In core fuel management: mixed core operation; reload variability; flexible operation (power modulation or load follow), extended operating domain, end of reactor life (management of final cycles);
  5. Fuel supply strategy;
  6. Fluence reduction to reactor components.

 

  • Track 2. Advances in designs, materials, and manufacturing
  1. Fuel assembly design innovations;
  2. Processing and manufacturing including progress in additive manufacturing;
  3. Cladding and structural materials development; mechanical and corrosion behaviour; irradiation experience in materials testing reactors (MTRs);
  4. Fuel design improvements for higher than 5% enrichment, high burnup, fluence reduction and efficient disposal;
  5. Development strategy for SMR fuels.

 

  • Track 3. Short- and long-term Advanced Technology Fuels (ATF)
  1. In-MTR and in-LWR LTR / LTA experience with advanced fuel and control rod designs, fuel pellet, cladding and component materials behaviour;
  2. Qualification, licensing, deployment scenarios;
  3. Life-cycle implementation from manufacturing to reactor operation and back-end;
  4. In-reactor performance of ATFs in normal operation and AOOs;
  5. Economics aspects of ATFs deployment strategy

 

  • Track 4. Used fuel storage, transportation and re-use
  1. Closed fuel cycles and strategies;
  2. Re-use after transportation/storage;
  3. Interim storage, dry storage, wet storage, and long term storage strategies (including ATF);
  4. Handling and transportation of damaged, high BU and non-standard fuels (including ATF); handling and treatment of leaking fuel;
  5. Spent fuel safety: R&D activities, ageing issues, criteria and regulations;
  6. Long-term fuel database management.
  • Track 5. Transient fuel behaviour and safety related issues
  1. Transient fuel behaviour (RIA, LOCA, ATWS, PCI/SCC, PCMI, post-CHF…),
  2. Safety and design criteria (including DEC conditions), safety analysis and licensing for current fuel and ATF;
  3. Fuel safety related issues (e.g., fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal; long term coolability; re-criticality; transient fission gas release; cladding ballooning and burst mechanisms; fuel behaviour under extended loss of cooling,…);
  4. Quantification and management of margins;
  5. Small- and large-scale fuel testing facilities;
  6. In-pile and out-of-pile test results and analyses.

 

  • Track 6. Modelling, analysis, and methods
  1. Development, verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification (VVUQ) of fuel performance modelling codes;
  2. Multi-physics multi-scale modelling; water chemistry and crud modelling;
  3. Validation databases;
  4. Transposition to in-reactor and back-end conditions;
  5. Fuel design and safety analysis methods, including uncertainty analysis;
  6. Data-driven and artificial intelligence technology applications;
  7. Modelling of ATF and SMR fuels.

Mark your diaries and be a part of it! 

 

IMPORTANT – The deadline for the Abstract Submission has been extended to 15th February 2024.
Next steps

Deadlines

Abstract Submission

15 February 2024

Author Notification

4 March 2024

Draft Paper Submission

3 May 2024

Paper Acceptance Notification

14 June 2024

Full Paper Submission 5 July 2024
TopFuel 2024 in Grenoble 29 September – 3 October 2024

 

For abstract submission please go to the TopFuel 2024 Online Abstract Submission System.

Track Leaders

Track Leader Affiliation Country
1 Operation and experience Nadine Hollasky/Guy Roussel
Eva Thyberg
Guoliang Zhang
BelV
Vattenfall
CGN
Belgium
Sweden
China
2 Advances in designs, materials and manufacturing David Schrire
Zeses Karoutas
Jiao Yongjun
Studsvik
Westinghouse
NPIC
Sweden
US
China
3 Short- and long-term Advanced Technology Fuels (ATF) Nico Vollmer
Nicolas Waeckel
Kan Sakamoto
Framatome
NW
NFD
Germany
France
Japan
4 Used fuel storage, transportation and re-use Cristina Munoz
Carolina Losin
Marc Verwerft
ENUSA
Studsvik
SCK-CEN
Spain
Sweden
Belgium
5 Transient fuel behavior and safety related issues Jinzhao Zhang
Oliver Marchand
Jae-Ho YANG
Tractebel
IRSN
KAERI
Belgium
France
Korea
6 Modelling, analysis and methods Marco Cherubini
Johannes Bertsch
Kenneth Geelhood
N.IN.E.
PSI
PNNL
Italy
Switzerland
US
7 Innovations in experimental methods, instrumentation and test reactor rigs Michelle Bales
Antoine Ambard
OECD NEA
EDF
France
France
Special Session on IAEA CRP ATF-TS Jinzhao Zhang
Martin Sevecek
Anzhelika Khaperskaia
Tractebel
CTU
IAEA
Belgium
Czech Republic
Austria

Registration & Fees

Registrations to TopFuel2024 are now closed.
For further requests and questions, please contact: conferences@euronuclear.org

Registration fees for TopFuel 2024 (all rates excl. 10% VAT)

 

Category

Rate

ENS Members

850 € *

Non-Members

975 €

Universities

650 € **

 

A discounted rate of 400€ (ex. VAT) exists for members of the ENS Young Generation. Please contact conferences@euronuclear.org for more information.

* Members of ENS’ Member Societies are automatically members of ENS.
** Applicable to participants from Universities

Registrations are now open!

What is included in my conference fee?
  • Participation in all sessions
  • Conference materials
  • Lunches and coffee breaks
  • Innovation Day
  • Social Programme
  • Welcome Drink
  • Conference Dinner
  • Technical Tours (Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis)

Sponsors

Prime Sponsor

Platinum Sponsor

Interested in becoming a TopFuel 2024 Sponsor? Contact conferences@euronuclear.org