Recipients: Following are the new GAIN awardees:
- AiMiLight Sensors and Intelligent Systems of Pittsburgh, Pa., is planning to work with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to test a prototype of the company’s “smart tape,” which has embedded fiberoptic sensors and can be applied to electrical cables exposed to harsh operating conditions. The company believes its sensing technology will provide real-time data on temperature and radiation conditions that could affect the service life of cables and could help facilities apply AI/machine learning insights to maintenance decisions. PNNL’s Accelerated and Real-time Experimental Nodal Assessment (ARENA) cable test bed and High Exposure Facility (HEF) gamma irradiation capabilities will test the performance of AiMiLight’s smart tape.
- Hayward Tyler Inc., of Colchester, Vt., will collaborate with Argonne National Laboratory to test new materials for use in sodium-cooled fast reactor pumps to find cost-effective and corrosion-resistant alternatives for cobalt alloys. Working with Argonne, Hayward Tyler will test wear and compatibility of several candidate materials for journal bearings under reactor operating conditions, including in Argonne’s METL sodium test loop facility. Their findings could help reduce U.S. dependence on China-sourced cobalt and avoid the activation concerns of cobalt alloys.
- Standard Nuclear, of Oak Ridge, Tenn., will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to calibrate their approach to assessing the carbon and oxygen content in ceramic-coated TRISO fuel kernels. Standard Nuclear is proposing an alternative to the current destructive testing method, which, according to the project abstract, “does not lend itself to large-scale commercial production of TRISO-based fuels.” Standard Nuclear will work with ORNL to baseline and calibrate its testing method in the Low Activation Materials Development and Analysis (LAMDA) Laboratory.
More about GAIN: The GAIN program was established in 2016 as a public-private partnership mechanism that provides funding to DOE laboratories to help businesses overcome specific critical technological and commercialization challenges. All awardees are responsible for a minimum 20 percent cost share, which could be an in-kind contribution. All projects last no longer than one year.
This marks the second round of GAIN vouchers awarded for FY 2025. First round 2025 vouchers, announced in December 2024, went to Curio Solutions, Deep Fission, Kairos Power, and NuCube Energy.
