The fuel division of Rosatom State Corporation has successfully completed the supply of modified nuclear fuel for the VVR-SM research reactor, which is operated at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The new fuel, developed and manufactured at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (part of TVEL), replaces the previously used IRT-4M fuel assemblies.
The innovative fuel — dense uranium and uranium-silicide — demonstrates improved operational characteristics, including increased uranium concentration. This allows for a significant increase in the duration of the fuel campaign, enhancing the reactor's efficiency. The VVR-SM facility is involved in a wide range of scientific and applied tasks: from fundamental research in nuclear physics and radiation materials science to the production of medical and industrial radioisotopes, as well as neutron activation analysis and mineral irradiation.