(IDAHO FALLS, Idaho) — The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) crossed another milestone in developing the MARVEL microreactor this month when Battelle Energy Alliance launched the effort to fabricate the reactor’s primary coolant system.
A team from INL and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy recently visited Carolina Fabricators Inc. (CFI) to kick off the fabrication process. BEA, which manages INL for DOE, awarded the contract to CFI last month. The Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation Project, or MARVEL, is a sodium-potassium-cooled reactor that will generate 85 kilowatts of thermal energy. It will be one of the lab’s first new reactors in nearly 50 years.
This latest contract follows an earlier contract between INL and CFI to fabricate the guard vessel for the MARVEL microreactor core.
“This contract continues a collaboration with Carolina Fabricators that not only helps MARVEL maintain schedule but also helps set the stage for potential fabrication support of commercial microreactor concepts,” said John Jackson, DOE-NE Microreactor Program national technical director.
MARVEL will help developers demonstrate microreactor applications and evaluate systems for new microreactor technologies. The primary coolant system manages the heat produced in the reactor core and will be the most complex fabrication of the MARVEL project.
“Following our performance on the guard vessel, the award of the primary coolant system contract represents a significant vote of confidence from the BEA/INL team in CFI’s capabilities as a Nuclear Quality Assurance fabricator,” said Patrick Halligan, CFI sales manager. “We are very encouraged that the established team will remain largely intact as we transition into fabrication of the primary coolant system. As the primary coolant system turns the complexity factor up several notches, the relationships and trust developed will be necessary for successful execution.”\
Nuclear Quality Assurance-1 certification ensures companies meet the strict standards of superior service and compliance required by the nuclear industry.
“We are excited to partner with Carolina Fabricators Inc. on the MARVEL primary coolant system,” said Jess Gehin, INL associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology. “This milestone is crucial for advancing the MARVEL microreactor project and highlights the importance of industry collaboration in achieving innovative energy solutions.”
The next components in line for fabrication are the reactor support frame and the reactivity control system. MARVEL will be installed at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex in 2027. More information about the MARVEL microreactor can be found here. More information about Carolina Fabricators Inc. can be found here.
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