Oklo has conducted full-scale flow testing of a proto-typical fuel assembly at Argonne National Laboratory (Image source: Oklo)
US-based nuclear power and fuel recycling company Oklo has conducted full-scale flow testing of a proto-typical fuel assembly at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) under a DOE Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) voucher.
Oklo said the programme had generated experimental data to validate computer models, demonstrate manufacturing parameters, and advance the company’s fuel assembly design toward production.
Working with ANL’s thermal-hydraulics team and test facilities, Oklo is studying how coolant flows through a fuel assembly during a range of operating conditions. The tests measured parameters such as pressure drop and flow distribution, providing data that is intended to benchmark Oklo’s simulations with full-scale performance.
“These full-scale, prototypical tests are vital in moving us from design into production,” said Oklo Co-founder & CEO. “The work we’re doing through GAIN at Argonne delivers real-world data that will ultimately inform the manufacturing parameters of our fuel-assembly design.”
Earlier in September, Oklo held a groundbreaking ceremony at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for its first Aurora powerhouse, under DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program. The Aurora is a sodium-cooled fast reactor that uses metal fuel and builds on the design and operating heritage of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), which ran in Idaho from 1964 to 1994. Oklo was awarded fuel recovered from EBR-II by the DOE in 2019 and has completed two of four steps for DOE authorisation to fabricate its initial core at the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at INL. Oklo says the work at ANL “supports the company’s cost-effective approach to building large-scale parts for its powerhouses”.
