US-based NuCube Launches High-Temperature Testing of 250 kW Pump-Free Microreactor in Utah

Advanced nuclear developer NuCube Energy is conducting a new round of non-nuclear testing in Utah, USA, on its factory-assembled microreactor technology. The company is collaborating with researchers from Brigham Young University to advance the project at the San Rafael Energy Research Laboratory.

The partners are using electric heating technology to precisely simulate the operating conditions inside their planned NuSun micro fission system. The core focus of this round of testing is to verify whether small modular nuclear energy can provide clean, decarbonized energy support for high-energy-consumption manufacturing operations.

Conventional commercial nuclear power plants typically rely on mechanical pumps and large pools to manage core temperature. Once mechanical components fail or external power supply is interrupted, the circulating flow of coolant may instantly stall. In contrast, NuCube has taken a fundamentally innovative approach, adopting a solid-state reactor design cooled entirely by sealed heat pipes.

These sealed metal tubes use basic physics to transfer heat out of the core, thereby completely eliminating the need for mechanical water pumps, large pressure vessels, and complex piping networks. This inherently safe design prevents fuel meltdown through the laws of physics alone, significantly reducing manufacturing costs and simplifying the regulatory approval process.

To verify the core's ability to power a real factory, researchers used an upgraded 250 kW induction furnace. This electrically heated test apparatus can generate intense and precisely controllable thermal energy without using radioactive nuclear fuel, paving the way for subsequent commercialization.