From April 15 to 19, 2019, delegation from Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute (SNERDI) visited SNC-LAVALIN in Toronto, Canada, for technical communication of using the modified 37-element bundles (37M) in the Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company (TQNPC).

     SNERDI was invited by TQNPC to review the design documents of 37M fuel initiated by SNC-LAVALIN. 9 reports were evaluated by SNERDI and TQNPC including Pressure Pulsation, Frequency and Temperature Sweep Tests, Cross Flow Tests, Fuel Endurance Tests, Critical Heat Flux Tests, Fuel Bundle Demonstration Irradiation and nuclear core design.

     The Qinshan Phase III CANDU 6 design is a pressure-tube reactor fuelled with natural uranium, cooled and moderated with heavy-water and designed to meet industry and public expectations for safe, reliable, environmentally friendly nuclear power generation. The standard fuel configuration in the CANDU 6 reactor is arranged as 380 horizontal fuel channels, with each channel containing a string of 37-element natural uranium fuel bundles. TQNPC is intending to transition to use 37M fuel in Qinshan Phase III units 1 and 2 to mitigate the impact of aging of the heat transport system (HTS) on safety margins. The 37M fuel bundle design will be the fuel carrier for natural uranium (NU) and natural uranium equivalent (NUE) fuel.