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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.
J. Northall, E. H. Norris, J. P. Knowles, J. R. Petherbridge
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 3 | April-May 2024 | Pages 495-503
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2223710
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The reaction of uranium deuteride with nitrogen has been investigated at room temperature followed by a thermal ramp to a furnace temperature of 230°C. This work utilized about 100 g of uranium deuteride that underwent seven absorption/desorption cycles with deuterium to provide a higher surface area on which to observe the reaction. Reactions were performed by flowing a mixture of N2 and 3He (95:5) through the UD3 sample. The reaction was monitored via mass spectrometry and pressure measurement. Evidence of partial consumption of N2 to form D2 and U2N3 was indicated at room temperature with the reaction limited to the sample surface. Increasing the sample furnace temperature to 230°C resulted in the full consumption of N2 and the associated generation of lower stoichiometry nitrides and D2. These results highlight that the reaction between nitrogen and uranium deuteride can occur at room temperature and that uranium beds are susceptible to a small loss in capacity when exposed to nitrogen.