Response Deadline: July 17, 2026
Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed an integrated technology platform that solves the core materials and engineering barriers preventing rapid deployment of compact nuclear microreactors. By combining a proprietary crack-free fabrication process, a thermally protective heat pipe moderator design and a complete core architecture built from proven nuclear materials, the platform enables organizations to produce high-performance reactor components that are smaller, more reliable and faster to manufacture than those achievable with conventional methods. The approach reduces fuel requirements by up to 50% compared to unmoderated designs, eliminates the complex environmental control systems traditionally needed to protect advanced moderators and scales from laboratory prototypes to industrial production without requiring process adjustments for different batch sizes.
The Challenge
Compact nuclear microreactors depend on solid moderator materials to slow neutrons efficiently within a small volume, yet producing and maintaining these materials at the quality and scale required for deployment remains a major obstacle. Converting bulk metal into a usable moderator involves significant physical changes that frequently cause cracking, rendering components structurally unsound and dimensionally out of tolerance. Traditional fabrication methods require careful calibration for each batch size and create conditions that accumulate internal damage over repeated processing cycles. Once fabricated, moderator materials face a second challenge inside the reactor: At the high operating temperatures needed for efficient power generation, hydrogen escapes from the moderator and migrates unpredictably through the system. Conventional moderator materials begin losing hydrogen above 500 C, and even advanced alternatives require active cooling or complex containment engineering to maintain stable performance over the reactor's lifetime.
Problems Solved
The Advanced Metal Hydride Microreactor platform addresses each of these barriers through a coordinated set of innovations. The crack-free fabrication method reverses the traditional manufacturing logic: Instead of carefully metering the hydrogen supply, it holds the hydrogen atmosphere constant and uses a controlled temperature profile to govern the reaction. The process inherently maximizes material quality at every stage, minimizing the internal stresses that cause cracking. Because the process parameters remain independent of batch size, the method is directly scalable to industrial production. For in-reactor operation, the thermally isolating heat pipe design places the moderator inside a protected zone that eliminates the temperature swings responsible for hydrogen loss allowing moderator performance to be predicted directly from known operating conditions rather than managed through complex active systems. The microreactor core design then integrates these components with standard nuclear fuel at conventional enrichment levels, avoiding the cost and regulatory complexity of advanced particle fuels while achieving comparable energy output and operational lifetimes. Advanced moderator materials extend the operational temperature envelope well beyond 1000 C, enabling use in nuclear thermal propulsion and other extreme-environment applications.
Advantages
- Crack-free fabrication at any scale the manufacturing process produces structurally sound moderator components regardless of batch size, with no need to recalibrate between runs
- Simplified reactor design thermally isolating heat pipes eliminate the need for active moderator cooling systems, reducing core complexity and freeing valuable reactor volume
- Proven materials, reduced regulatory risk the core architecture uses familiar fuel and cladding materials already qualified for nuclear service, avoiding lengthy certification timelines
- Up to 50% reduction in required fuel mass advanced moderators improve neutron efficiency, shrinking core size and weight for transport-ready deployment
- Predictable moderator performance thermal isolation enables reliable lifetime predictions and improved safety margins
- Broad temperature compatibility advanced moderator materials support applications from terrestrial power generation to space propulsion
Market Applications
- Defense and Energy (forward operating base power, mobile installations, energy-resilient infrastructure)
- Space Power (NASA thermal propulsion systems, lunar and planetary surface power, deep-space missions)
- Off-Grid Civilian Power (mining operations, Arctic and island communities, disaster recovery)
- Advanced Nuclear Reactor Manufacturing (microreactor core fabrication, small modular reactor components, fuel assembly production)
- Industrial Process Heat (hydrogen production, desalination, chemical processing in remote locations)
- Research and Isotope Production (compact neutron sources, university research reactors, medical isotope generation)
TRL 4-5
U.S. Patent No. 11,802,045 (S-133676)
U.S. Patents pending (S-167581, S-167598, S-167607)
LA-UR-26-25228
LANL Tech Partnerships: Unlock the Innovative Potential
Los Alamos National Laboratory offers a wide range of cutting-edge technologies and capabilities that may provide your company with a competitive edge in the market and unlock the innovative potential that can enhance, refine, and revolutionize your products.
LANL's licensing program focuses on moving inventions developed by our researchers to commercial innovations. Patented and patent pending inventions and copyrighted software are available to existing and start-up companies through exclusive and non-exclusive licensing agreements. For specific discussions, please contact licensing@lanl.gov.
Note: This is not a call for external services for the development of this technology.
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