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The deadline arrives: Checking in on the Reactor Pilot Program
On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14301, “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the DOE,” which instructed the Department of Energy to create a Reactor Pilot Program (RPP)—a new system in which companies could pursue DOE authorization to build and test their first-of-a-kind nuclear technologies. EO 14301 set an ambitious goal for that program: three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026.
Michael T. Tobin
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 19 | Number 3 | May 1991 | Pages 679-685
Inertial Fusion | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29423
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A neutronics analysis has been carried out to determine the effects on the Cascade ICF reactor concept of adding a solid-lithium x-ray and debris shield to each ICF capsule. Results indicate that tritium breeding in LiAlO2 is possible with a modest isotopic enhancement in 6Li (to 15%). The shallow-burial index is greater than 1 (indicating that deep burial may be required) if the blanket is kept in the reactor for more than 2.5 yr. Nine per cent of the total thermal power is unrecoverable. Parts of the chamber wall may require replacement once during the reactor life due to radiation damage. Part of the SiC chamber end cap must be replaced annually. The reactor may not require any nuclear-grade construction.