Fuel of the Future: Ultra Safe Corporation Develops Solution to Triple Power of Micro Reactors

Ultra Safe Corporation Recently Announced Major Advances in Its Future Fuel and Claims That the Power Generation of Its Micro Reactors Can Increase by 300%.

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) announced that the major technological advancement in its patented Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) fuel enables a Future fuel geometry that offers higher power and safety, allowing its Micro-Modular Reactor (MMR) to produce three times more power.

Ultra Safe Corporation Micro Reactors Can Now Operate Flexibly

The micro reactors had already demonstrated high-temperature thermal and electric MW of 5 MW, using TRISO fuel in prismatic graphite blocks and with a sealed and transportable core. The graphite blocks contain stacks of future fuel pellets. The helium-cooled reactor is refueled once during its 20-year lifespan.

Ultra Safe Corporation now claims that the MMR can operate flexibly with high assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel (with 19.75% enrichment) or low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel (with 9.9% enrichment) and operate at various power levels from 10 MWt (3.3 MWe) to 45 MWt (15 MWe). According to USNC, this makes it possible to serve a diverse range of customers with a single standardized design.

In a statement, Ultra Safe Corporation claims that to achieve this upgrade, USNC is successfully demonstrating innovative technologies in 3D printing and advanced production of its patented FCM fuel.

These technologies enable the flexibility to produce future fuel pellets with unique geometry.

The FCM for the micro reactors further encapsulates TRISO particles in silicon carbide, ensuring that the helium coolant remains contamination-free. This advancement mitigates thermal stresses on the fuel and allows increases in temperature and output power of the MMR.

Future Fuel Creates a 300% Increase in Power

Ultra Safe Corporation claims that after discussions with various investors and customers, it sought innovation around a versatile design that better meets the higher demands for heat and energy while still serving remote application customers.

Making these important changes now focuses resources on USNC and ensures that its demonstrations have the same design as its commercial deployments, applying its relevance, according to USNC’s nuclear director, Dan Stout.

According to Stout, the impact on the short-term schedule is worth it for a power increase rate of 300% and the flexibility generated by the future fuel. The company is currently working on deployment projects at Chalk River, from the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in Ontario, Canada, and at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in the United States.

About Ultra Safe Corporation 

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation, a U.S.-based company headquartered in Seattle, is a global leader and vertically integrated provider of nuclear technologies and services, on Earth and in Space. Key initiatives include the Modular Micro Reactor (MMR), fully ceramic microencapsulated nuclear fuel (FCM), and nuclear power propulsion technologies for space exploration.

The company is demonstrating the MMR Power Systems at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories with Ontario Power Generation and at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. New deployment projects are underway in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

USNC operates with the mission to develop, deploy, and vertically integrate nuclear energy solutions, including hardware, fuel, execution, and operational know-how, that are safe and commercially competitive. The company aims to generate reliable carbon-free energy anywhere, focusing on safety, quality, character, cooperation, and experience.