Online refuelling

This allows the reactor to continue to generate electricity during routine refuelling, and therefore improve the availability and profitability of the plant.

Additionally, this allows for more flexibility in reactor refuelling schedules, exchanging a small number of fuel elements at a time rather than high-intensity offline refuelling programmes.

[1] The ability to refuel a reactor while generating power has the greatest benefits where refuelling is required at high frequency, for example during the production of plutonium suitable for nuclear weapons during which low-burnup fuel is required from short irradiation periods in a reactor.

[3] Although online refuelling is generally desirable, it requires design compromises which means that it is often uneconomical.

Notable past and present nuclear power plant designs that have incorporated the ability to refuel online include: There are a number of planned reactor designs which include provision for online refuelling, including pebble-bed and molten salt Generation IV reactors.