AMPERA and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Collaborate to Develop Advanced Nuclear Fuel

AMPERA announced on August 26 that it has established a strategic partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which operates under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) system. The two parties will collaborate on next-generation advanced nuclear fuels, with a focus on applications such as compact nuclear energy systems and subcritical reactor platforms.

Under the collaboration arrangement, the two parties will jointly advance the development of manufacturing processes related to tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. Project objectives include improving the reliability, licensability, and scalability of fuel manufacturing, and supporting AMPERA's plans to build an advanced nuclear fuel supply chain and production capability within the United States. The two parties will collaborate on technology, equipment, software, and resources for the design, characterization, and optimization of related processes.

Viktor Sukhotskiy, LLNL engineer and principal investigator for the project, stated that this collaboration will combine laboratory research capabilities with industry needs to address complex problems in advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing, while continuing to refine advanced manufacturing technologies such as liquid metal jetting.

This collaboration will evaluate and optimize liquid metal jetting technology for producing thorium-232 spherical particles as a key precursor material for TRISO fuel manufacturing. Project work includes computational modeling, material compatibility analysis, tooling design, high-temperature process development, particle characterization, radiation safety operations, and process transfer and specification development for future commercialization.

AMPERA stated that its advanced fuel platform includes trade-secret-protected processes and proprietary technologies, and has established multiple patent portfolios around liquid metal processing technology. In June of this year, AMPERA announced its advanced fuel strategy, planning to further advance thorium fuel development and future fuel production capability building.

Brian Matthews, founder and CEO of AMPERA, stated that establishing scalable domestic advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing capability is an important component of the company's strategy. The company hopes that through collaboration with LLNL, it can accelerate the development of foundational technologies, reduce fuel supply chain costs and risks, and support the deployment of its subcritical nuclear energy systems.

AMPERA is developing micro nuclear energy platforms for data centers, defense, industrial, and maritime applications. The company stated that its subcritical systems differ from traditional reactors, relying on external neutron sources to initiate and sustain reactions, and enhancing system operational characteristics through the design of fuel cycles and control methods. On July 1, AMPERA unveiled a demonstration-scale 3D-printed nuclear core structural module fabricated from silicon carbide material, used to validate its long-duration core architecture concept.