Manufacturing Archives

Development of High-Purity Graphite Matrix for Nuclear TRISO Fuel

Orbia Fluor will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to produce and test Orbia produced purified graphite feedstock for use in nuclear applications. ORNL has unique capabilities for TRISO relevant graphite matrix fabrication, machining, and nuclear materials testing under qualified procedures. Under this project, Orbia will produce purified feedstock powders and graphite matrix with the support of ORNL and then ORNL will test the produced graphite to assess the viability of meeting nuclear standards. This work will help build domestic capabilities to purify graphite feedstock for nuclear energy.

Investigation of Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) Process Development for Graphite Neutron Moderator Production, Element Factory

Element Factory, LLC (Cheyenne, WY) will work with Idaho National Laboratory to ensure that graphite components will meet technical and regulatory requirements for use in nuclear reactors when they are produced through their novel process that uses different carbon sources.

Development of Casting Techniques for δ-phase Uranium-Zirconium Alloys, Lightbridge Corp.

The objective of this project is to determine the optimal casting process for the Lightbridge δphase U-Zr alloy using a depleted uranium (DU) zirconium surrogate in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL) which is located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

Multiphysics Design Optimization and Additive Manufacturing of Nuclear Components, Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC

Westinghouse and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use multiphysics design optimization methods and additive manufacturing to help develop new nuclear components as well as optimized replacements to existing components that are optimum for meeting design requirements and are manufacturable.

Nuclear Grade Graphite Powder Feedstock Development, Urbix Resources

The objective of this project is to characterize Urbix Resources’ purified graphite powder, fabricate solid specimens of graphite matrix material, and conduct post-fabrication testing for properties determination. By decreasing feedstock cost, production time, and environmental impact, Urbix Resources expects to achieve competitive nuclear graphite grades at a discounted price.

Synthesis of Molten Chloride Salt Fast Reactor Fuel Salt from Spent Nuclear fuel, Elysium Industries

The objective of this project was to convert spent nuclear fuel into molten-chloride-salt fuel and was intended to demonstrate the streamlined development of fuel salt manufacturing from spent nuclear fuel.

Investigation of Materials for Continuous Casting of Metallic Nuclear Fuel, Creare LLC.

Creare, LLC, worked with researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to identify and test initial concepts for coating materials to be used in testing a continuous casting process aimed at reducing the cost of fuel pin production compared with conventional fabrication methods for metal fuel.

Legacy Metal Fuel Data Exploration for Commercial Scale-up, Oklo Inc.

Oklo Inc. (Oklo) partnered with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to accelerate the fuel manufacturing process to support Oklo’s path to commercialization. The project involved compiling and assessing information about legacy metal fuel data and fabrication from EBR-II, the liquid-metalcooled fast reactor that operated for 30 years at INL.

Work Type: Manufacturing