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Re: News Release - Wednesday, August 06, 2008
International Beryllium Signs Collaborative Research Agreement
with Purdue University to Develop Safer and More Efficient
Uranium Oxide Beryllium Oxide Nuclear Fuel
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VANCOUVER, BC and WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. -- August 6th, 2008 -
International Beryllium Corporation (TSX-V:IB) ("IB") is pleased to
announce that it has signed a collaborative research agreement (the
"Agreement") with Purdue University ("Purdue") to advance the
university's existing nuclear fuels research program and to develop a
new type of beryllium oxide nuclear fuel that is longer lasting, more
efficient and safer than current nuclear fuels. The objective of the
research is to develop for commercial use an enhanced uranium oxide
beryllium oxide nuclear fuel for both current and future nuclear power
reactors.
Existing work by Purdue nuclear engineers has shown that an advanced
uranium oxide beryllium oxide (UO2 -- BeO) nuclear fuel could
potentially save billions of dollars annually by lasting longer and
burning more efficiently than conventional nuclear fuels while at the
same time dramatically impacting the demand for beryllium (Be) and
beryllium oxide (BeO). In addition to the cost savings, an advanced UO2
-- BeO nuclear fuel could also contribute significantly to the
operational safety of both current and future nuclear reactors due to
its superior thermal conductivity and associated decrease in risks of
overheating or meltdown.
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Purdue on this
exciting and potentially transformational research into nuclear fuels,"
said Anthony Dutton, President and CEO of IB. "We fundamentally believe
that multi-oxide and BeO fuels are the way of the future and will be
the foundation of a more efficient, economically sound and safer
nuclear power industry. By supporting Purdue's ongoing nuclear fuels
research," continued Dutton, "we aim to make an advanced UO2 -- BeO
fuel commercially accessible and to enhance the value of our strategic
assets for both our shareholders and the nuclear fuels industry."
Under the terms of the Agreement, Purdue has granted to IB an option at
IB's sole discretion, to enter into either a non-exclusive royalty-free
license for commercial application to the intellectual property
relating to the development of an advanced beryllium oxide nuclear fuel
(the "IP") as developed by Purdue under the Agreement, or an exclusive
royalty-bearing license to the IP up to a mutually agreed maximum
royalty amount. Pursuant to the Agreement, Purdue has proposed a
maximum 24-month research program with an estimated budget which will
be the sole responsibility of IB and which will be paid by IB on a
quarterly installment basis.
The research project will be led by Dr. Shripad Revankar, a professor
of nuclear engineering at Purdue. He will be assisted by Dr. Sean
McDeavitt, an assistant professor of nuclear engineering at Texas A&M
University. In addition, Dr. Alvin Solomon, a professor emeritus at
Purdue's School of Nuclear Engineering, and an early pioneer in the
field of high thermal conductivity nuclear fuels, will act as a
consultant to the project. Drs. Solomon, Revankar and McDeavitt are
leaders in the field of advanced nuclear fuels research and have
published extensively in a variety of peer-reviewed scientific journals
and have presented at a number of international nuclear fuels
symposiums and conferences.
"The new fuel," explained Dr. Revankar, "could very possibly be used in
current nuclear power reactors as well as next generation reactors
which are already in the prototype stage. For either type of reactor,"
continued Dr. Revankar, "multioxide high thermal conductivity fuels are
much safer as well as being more efficient requiring the fuel rods to
be changed less frequently."
In a recent article focused on advanced UO2 -- BeO fuel research, Dr.
Solomon said, "Although today's oxide fuels are very stable and safe, a
major problem is that they do not conduct heat well, limiting the power
and causing fuel pellets to crack and degrade prematurely,
necessitating replacement before the fuel has been entirely used. The
beryllium oxide is like a heat pipe that sucks the heat out and helps
to more efficiently cool the fuel pellet. If you can operate at a lower
temperature, you can use the fuel pellets for a longer time, burning up
more of the fuel, which is very important from an economic point of
view. Lower temperatures also mean safer, more flexible reactor
operation."
Purdue led the early research into UO2 -- BeO fuel, which is intended
to solve the inherent problem of low thermal conductivity of existing
UO2 fuel. The low thermal conductivity leads to a large temperature
gradient across the fuel pellet, which limits the operational
performance of nuclear reactors due to thermal stresses that cause
pellet cladding interaction and the release of fission product gases.
An enhanced thermal conductivity UO2 -- BeO fuel would decrease maximum
fuel temperatures and facilitate a reduction in pellet cladding
interaction through lessening thermal stresses that result in fuel
cracking, relocation and swelling. Additionally, fission gas release
would be decreased allowing for higher fuel burn-up and reactor safety
would be greatly improved with a faster thermal response and less
stored energy in the fuel pins.
About International Beryllium Corporation
International Beryllium Corporation is a global exploration,
development and manufacturing company focused on beryllium, beryllium
oxides and beryllium master alloys. Beryllium and related alloys are
used in a broad range of specialized industrial applications such as
nuclear power, defense, electronics and automotive. International
Beryllium's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under
the symbol IB.
For additional information please contact:
International Beryllium Corporation
Anthony Dutton, CEO
(604) 689-1515 ext 111
Email: adutton@internationalberyllium.com
Website: www.internationalberyllium.com
This news release was prepared by management of IB, which takes full
responsibility for its contents. The TSX Venture Exchange has not
reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy of this
news release.
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Copyright (c) 2008 INTERNATIONAL BERYLLIUM CORPORATION (IB) All rights
reserved. For more information visit our website at
http://www.internationalberyllium.com/ or send
mailto:ba@primarycapital.net
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