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Antares achieves zero-power criticality at INL
Leveraging more than $140 million in private capital fundraising, over 322,000 square feet of operational manufacturing space, and multifaceted partnerships with the Departments of Energy and Defense, reactor start-up Antares has become the first company involved in the Reactor Pilot Program to achieve zero-power fueled criticality—a full month ahead of the July 4 deadline set by President Trump’s Executive Order 14301.
This milestone, announced yesterday, was achieved with the company’s Mark-0: a sodium heat-pipe-cooled, TRISO-fueled microreactor. The Mark-0 is a forerunner to the company’s flagship design, which it calls the R1. For Antares, this development represents a key validation of its reactor physics, control systems, and supply chain.
Teruya Tanaka, Akio Sagara, Juro Yagi, Takeo Muroga
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 75 | Number 8 | November 2019 | Pages 1002-1009
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2019.1658044
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In 2013–2014, the FliNaK/LiPb twin-loop system Operational Recovery Of Separated Hydrogen and Heat Inquiry-2 (Oroshhi-2) was constructed at National Institute for Fusion Science as a liquid blanket collaboration platform. Inventory of FLiNaK and LiPb in the system is ~120 L for each, and both loops are providing a stable circulation environment. Oroshhi-2 has flexible capability to perform integrated experiments by installing all the components required for the liquid blanket system in one circulating loop at the same time. A 3-T superconducting magnet and 1-T permanent magnet enable simulation of the reactor environment except for radiations. As of the year of 2018, eight experimental topics related to liquid blanket technologies have been performed, prepared, or proposed as the first step of the Oroshhi-2 experiments. These topics cover the various blanket issues widely from first wall to secondary loop for power generation.