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Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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The deadline arrives: Checking in on the Reactor Pilot Program
On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14301, “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the DOE,” which instructed the Department of Energy to create a Reactor Pilot Program (RPP)—a new system in which companies could pursue DOE authorization to build and test their first-of-a-kind nuclear technologies. EO 14301 set an ambitious goal for that program: three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026.
G. V. Alm, E. E. Garrett, M. H. Binstock
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 7 | Number 1 | January 1960 | Pages 73-82
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE60-A25700
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The methods used for fabrication of finned aluminum-clad flat plate fuel elements are discussed. Uranium—3.5 w/o Molybdenum alloy core plates were fabricated by vacuum casting in graphite molds. The uranium alloy plate was electroplated with nickel and inserted into an extruded aluminum sheath containing external fins. Aluminum end plugs were inserted to complete the fuel plate assembly. A core-to-cladding metallurgical bond was obtained by hot gas pressing (isostatic pressing) the assembly. Bonded plates were end machined, inspected, stacked, clipped, and loaded into a stainless steel container box. Cast stainless steel end hardware was then affixed by heliarc welding to the respective box ends to result in the completed fuel element. Methods for process control are discussed. Preliminary irradiation results are presented which indicate that the elements produced by the described process are suitable for organic moderated reactor use.