Berkeley, CA – Deep Isolation has been selected as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) initiative, which funds energy and environmental projects with potential for commercialization.
In collaboration with the advanced reactor developer Kairos Power, Deep Isolation’s awarded Project “PUCK” (Performance Validation of the Universal Canister System for Kairos Power) aims to validate the functionality of Deep Isolation’s advanced disposal canister design with TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic) spent fuel. TRISO – dubbed “the most robust nuclear fuel on earth” by the Department of Energy – is a commercially viable fuel form used in advanced reactor designs under development by multiple vendors.
This project addresses the problem of the increasing nuclear spent-fuel stockpile by proving the viability of innovative, triple-purpose canister technology that can accommodate a wide range of different nuclear waste types for storage, transportation, and eventual disposal in a geologic repository.
Through the support of the DOE’s ARPA-E programs, Deep Isolation is developing a Universal Canister System (UCS) for the safe storage, transport, and disposal (in both traditional mined repositories and deep boreholes) of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste from both conventional and advanced nuclear reactors. The UCS provides a robust design that future-proofs the advanced reactor industry in the face of uncertain future disposal paths while making available a new, low-cost, modular, and scalable disposal option: deep borehole disposal. By testing the UCS design with spent TRISO fuel from one of the country’s first advanced reactors, Kairos Power’s KP-FHR, Project PUCK will support the development of the UCS to the point of full commercialization.
“This represents a significant milestone for our company and for the industry,” explains Rod Baltzer, CEO of Deep Isolation. “The adoption of this technology in the advanced reactor commercial market will pave the way for an integrated waste management system. I am delighted that the Department of Energy is supporting our collaboration with Kairos Power to demonstrate the Universal Canister System’s effectiveness, reinforcing this technology as the solution of choice for advanced reactors.”
“We are excited to collaborate with Deep Isolation on Project PUCK,” says Per Peterson, Chief Nuclear Office and Co-Founder of Kairos Power. “Kairos Power has been a strong supporter of Deep Isolation since its inception. We are delighted to work with them to see this technology being commercialized and deployed to provide an integrated, end-to-end solution for managing spent fuel produced by advanced reactors.”
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About Deep Isolation
Deep Isolation is a leading global innovator in nuclear waste storage and disposal solutions. Driven by a passion for environmental stewardship and scientific ingenuity, the company’s patented solution of advanced nuclear technologies enables global delivery through its partnerships with industry leaders as well as flexible IP licensing options. With grant support from the US Department of Energy through the UPWARDS project, Deep Isolation is developing a Universal Canister System (UCS) for the safe storage, transport and disposal of spent nuclear fuel from advanced reactors. Once encapsulated in a UCS canister, the waste streams from any advanced reactor will be both safe and future-proofed – that is, ready for any option the waste owner may choose in the future: long-term storage, disposal in a mined geologic disposal facility or disposal in a deep borehole repository. The prototype UCS canister being developed by the UPWARDS project will be used for future testing and demonstration programs, providing invaluable data to inform the OECD-NEA WISARD project.
About Kairos Power
Kairos Power is a mission-driven nuclear technology, engineering, and manufacturing company singularly Kairos Power is a mission-driven nuclear technology, engineering, and manufacturing company singularly focused on commercializing the fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) – a clean energy solution that can be deployed with robust safety at an affordable cost to enable deep decarbonization. Founded in 2016, the company is unique in applying a rapid iterative development approach and vertical integration strategy to bring advanced reactor technology to market. In 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit for Kairos Power’s Hermes demonstration reactor – the first non-water-cooled reactor to be approved for construction in the U.S. in more than 50 years. Kairos Power’s mission is to enable the world’s transition to clean energy with the ultimate goal of dramatically improving people’s quality of life while protecting the environment.
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