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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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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.
Victoria Hypes-Mayfield, Lyra Troy, David Dogruel, William Kubic, Joseph H. Dumont
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 82 | Number 1 | January-February 2026 | Pages 420-430
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2571383
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Implementation of fusion energy requires processing the deuterium-tritium (D-T) mixture used to fuel the reaction, and separation of hydrogen isotopes from other gases is imperative. Specifically, the separation of hydrogen isotopes from helium is a matter of importance to the fusion fuel cycle community. Initial testing with a palladium-silver (Pd-Ag) membrane indicates that even moderate vacuum (~100 torr permeate pressure) can provide a high degree of separation (>90%) at a high ratio of H2 to He. Given the presence of He in many fusion systems, a high technology readiness level (TRL) for Q2/He (where Q represents any isotope of hydrogen) separations is needed. This study demonstrates the efficacy of H2 removal from He via permeation and potential applications for direct internal recycle. Modeling will accompany the experimental campaign to generate a predictive capability and quantify the separation performance. Modeling from previous hydrogen permeation studies has demonstrated that the typical Sieverts’ law fails to predict the measured permeation rates at high hydrogen fluxes. Existing models are being refined to integrate the effects of surface phenomena into permeation predictions, which have been expanded to account for mixtures with large ranges of Q2 concentrations. These data will improve the TRL of permeators as a separation technology for the fusion fuel cycle.