Oklo Inc.

partnered with

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Development of Novel Deconversion Technology, NE-25-37814

YEAR AWARDED: FY-2025

ABSTRACT:

Oklo Inc., located in Santa Clara, California, is developing next-generation fission powerhouses to produce abundant, affordable, clean energy at a global scale – starting with the Aurora, which can produce up to 75MWe of electrical power.

Deconversion of UF6 to uranium metal is crucial after the enrichment of High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) for metal fueled fast reactors. The high temperature UF6 to UF4 reduction in H2 and F2 must be kept anhydrous and carried out at a temperature well above the autoignition temperature of hydrogen. The engineering systems required to make these reductions, and the safety issues present in these conditions, are of concern. Therefore, Oklo is exploring other pathways to reduce the chemical hazards.

Oklo will partner with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which has demonstrated gram-scale reduction of UF6 to UF4 through an intermediary compound that significantly reduces the traditional method’s hazards. PNNL has also shown the viability of co-reducing fluorides to metal. The possibility of eliminating the intermediate UF4 production step will have the potential of increased throughput and process safety that will help accelerate deployment of a commercial fabrication facility.