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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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LLNL, Ampera partner to develop thorium-based TRISO fuel
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has formed a strategic partnership with Ampera to develop the company’s nuclear fuel concept through a project named THUNDER, for Thorium Unimodal Droplet Ejection for Reactors.
The focus of THUNDER is fabricating TRISO made with kernels of thorium rather than the usual uranium. LLNL and Ampera will evaluate and optimize liquid metal–jetting technology to produce highly uniform, spherical kernels of thorium-232 for later processing into TRISO fuel.
Technical Session|Radioisotope Power Systems
Monday, May 5, 2025|1:00–2:40PM CDT|Salon EF (Marriott)
Session Chair:
David Frate (NASA Glenn Research Center)
Track Organizer:
Harold Gerrish (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center)
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Risk Analysis of Radiological Release from Pu-238 Production Targets During Manual Handling
1:00–1:25PM CDT
Daniel K. Sluder (INL), Igor A. Sarygin (INL), Jacob L. Westacott (INL), Matthew D. Horkley (INL)
Paper
Chemical Processing Waste Remediation in the Plutonium-238 Supply Program
1:25–1:50PM CDT
Briana R. Schrage (ORNL), Jisue Moon (ORNL), Ethan Villarreal (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Sam Cummings (ORNL), Doug Crawford (ORNL), Kristian G. Myhre (ORNL), Adam J. Parkison (ORNL)
Materials Characterization Capabilities for the Plutonium-238 Supply Program
1:50–2:15PM CDT
Kathryn M. Peruski (ORNL), Connor J. Parker (ORNL), Samantha K. Cary (ORNL), Chris L. Jensen (ORNL), Adam J. Parkison (ORNL)
Capabilities for Studying Temperature Dependence in Optical Spectra of Actinides in Support of the Plutonium-238 Supply Program
2:15–2:40PM CDT
Sara E. Gilson (ORNL), Luke R. Sadergaski (ORNL), Hunter B. Andrews (ORNL), Adam J. Parkison (ORNL)