Tam Fortis needs to validate its computational reactor design before finalizing a configuration for its planned zero-power criticality test. The company requires independent analysis to confirm criticality, shutdown margins, temperature feedback, power distribution, neutron leakage, and the interaction of the reactor’s neutronics, heat pipes, and hydride moderator.
BNNT Materials is developing BNNT-based gaskets for molten salt reactor systems, where high temperatures and corrosive salts create significant sealing challenges. The company needs specialized testing to demonstrate that its gaskets can withstand molten fluoride and chloride salts while maintaining sealing performance, chemical stability, and durability under reactor-relevant conditions.
Ur-Energy seeks to improve groundwater restoration following ISR uranium mining, a process that can take years and add significant costs to uranium production. The company is developing an apatite-based treatment method to more efficiently sequester heavy metals and radionuclides, potentially reducing restoration time, costs, and environmental impacts.
Aalo will work with INL to expand EMRALD’s modeling and simulation capabilities so Aalo can optimize reactor design, economics, and operational reliability. INL developed the EMRALD dynamic risk assessment software and has extensive expertise in advanced reactor modeling, reliability analysis, and microreactor development.
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.
Hayward Tyler will partner with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to perform tribological (wear) testing of several candidate materials that offer superior wear resistance while reducing the radiological hazards of cobalt bearing materials. They also plan to test the bearings to ascertain surface wear mechanisms using the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) facility. The benefits of this project will be to identify alternative bearing materials to decrease costs and enhance safety.
Oklo, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) will partner with Idaho National Laboratory to complete pre-conceptual design work of an experimental test device that will be used in its first Aurora fast reactor to support irradiation testing of advanced fuels and materials.
For this project, ARC will work with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to enhance the SAS modeling capabilities for passive heat removal systems, including the generic RVACS model and the DRACS heat exchanger models. These enhancements will enable ARC to recover safety margins and have a better representation of the system’s response during long-term cooling events.
Aalo will partner with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to perform independent analyses on fuel performance using the BISON code as well as thermal-hydraulics using RELAP5-3D. This work will support the independent code-to-code verification to support Aalo’s future licensing efforts.
This project will leverage Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s experience with high-temperature ultrasound to demonstrate feasibility for OLSHM of the Hydromine lead-cooled reactor heat exchanger for cracks and corrosion.