For the first time in more than two decades, researchers at the US Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have performed critical experiment using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO (TRI-structural ISOtropic) fuel. The Deimos experiment was performed at the National Criticality Experiments Research Centre (NCERC) outside of Las Vegas, operated by LANL at the Nevada National Security Site.
The experiment ties into a larger effort between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to provide new design and safety related data on the use, storage, and transportation of HALEU. Currently there are few benchmarks for HALEU, which is enriched to between 5% and 20% uranium-235. The Deimos project aims to support licensing of HALEU that many advanced reactor designs require. “The Deimos experiment is an important step toward deploying HALEU-fuelled nuclear reactors,” said LANL programme manager for nuclear energy, Chris Stanek.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
