DOE microreactor prototype reaches 90 percent final design
Nuclear

DOE microreactor prototype reaches 90 percent final design

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said its MARVEL microreactor, the first new reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in more than four decades, achieved 90 percent final design.

DOE said the project can now move forward with fabrication and construction.

MARVEL, a sodium-potassium-cooled microreactor that will generate 85 kW of thermal energy, is expected to be completed in early-2025. The Department said it will be built inside the Transient Reactor Test Facility at INL with future plans to connect it to a microgrid.

MARVEL will be used to help in demonstrating microreactor applications, evaluating systems for remote monitoring and developing autonomous control technologies for new reactors.

DOE’s microreactor program recently finished MARVEL’s final design report, which included more than 200 supporting documents detailing the engineering analysis, specifications, requirements and drawings of the reactor design.

The Department said the 90 percent completion threshold allows for minor changes that might arise due to unforeseen complexities during construction and assembly. 

While the design won’t be considered 100 percent final until the microreactor is cleared for operation, INL is now permitted to award contracts.

Later this year, INL will work to purchase fuel for the microreactor, which will use a version of TRIGA fuel similar to what is used in university research reactors across the country.

Additional milestones include safety analysis, training and drafting procedures, followed by the construction and assembly of the reactor before fuel loading.

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