The joint team will explore opportunities to use the TRISO Development Lab at Kairos Power's Albuquerque campus, the BWXT Innovation Campus in Lynchburg, Virginia, and BWXT's existing TRISO production line, to optimise TRISO fuel manufacturing and process automation. The companies have also agreed to explore opportunities to jointly develop a TRISO fuel fabrication facility with newly developed technology for commercial fuel production.
TRISO - for tri-structural isotropic - fuel particles are made up of a uranium, carbon, and oxygen fuel kernel encapsulated by three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials that prevent the release of radioactive fission products. These extremely robust particles can then be fabricated into "pebbles" of reactor fuel. Kairos is combining TRISO fuel with molten fluoride salt coolant in its fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor known as the KP-FHR. A low-power demonstration reactor called Hermes is currently under construction in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Hermes is to be followed by Hermes 2 - a 50 MWe power-producing demonstration plant - for which the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit last year.
The collaboration agreement brings together Kairos Power's capabilities in annular graphite pebble production with BWXT's more than 20 years of experience in TRISO fuel manufacturing, Kairos said, and will consider possible paths to deliver fuel for Hermes 2 and subsequent Kairos Power reactor deployments.
Kairos Power Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Ed Blandford said the collaboration is an opportunity to develop a secure pathway to commercial TRISO fuel production, which is the next step in the development of Kairos Power's fuel supply chain. "With BWXT as a trusted strategic partner, we have a clear path to produce the high-quality fuel products that will unlock advanced nuclear energy's potential," he said.
Josh Parker, Senior Director, BWXT Advanced Fuels, said the collaboration creates an "industry-leading" TRISO development and manufacturing team. "Together, we believe we have the opportunity and skills to speed up the development process and provide more economical TRISO fuel that ensures supply for Kairos, BWXT, and the wider advanced reactor community," he added.
BWXT Advanced Fuels was launched as a subsidiary of BWXT in August, to leverage the company's experience manufacturing TRISO fuel at its Lynchburg facility for the commercialisation of advanced nuclear fuel.
The announcement coincided with World Nuclear Association’s Energy Users Summit in London, where Jeffrey Olson, Vice President of Business Development & Finance for Kairos Power, took part in a panel session called Partnerships for progress: In conversation with technology developers and energy partners. Read more: Consumers cluster around nuclear energy
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