TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY High-Capacity High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) Transportation Concept

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

High-Capacity High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) Transportation Concept

A groundbreaking HALEU transportation concept with high capacity, innovative stainless- steel canisters, borated aluminum flux trap, and regulatory compliance.

Opportunity:   Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), offers the opportunity to explore a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this HALEU transportation technology. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people.

Overview:        The demand for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) is increasing due to the development of advanced nuclear reactors that require fuel with higher enrichments. However, current transportation package designs are inadequate in efficiently transporting HALEU, resulting in technical and regulatory challenges. Until now, there have been no previous endeavors to develop a high-capacity transportation concept for HALEU, primarily due to its niche nature and associated risks.

Description:    The disclosed transportation concept introduces a unique basket design that incorporates stainless steel canisters and a borated aluminum flux trap. These components are seamlessly integrated into existing transportation packaging to securely hold HALEU during transit. Through rigorous criticality and shielding evaluations, structural assessments, thermal analyses, and comprehensive package operation studies, the technical feasibility and regulatory compliance of this concept have been demonstrated. This groundbreaking solution enables the transportation of up to 376 kg (830 lb) of fissile material per package and up to 1881 kg (4149 lb) of HALEU per legal weight truck, surpassing the capabilities of existing designs.

Benefits:          

• Unparalleled payload capacity, surpassing alternatives currently available in the market.
• Significant economic and societal impacts by supporting the development of advanced nuclear reactors in the United States.

Applications:    

• Fuel transportation for advanced nuclear reactors requiring high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).
• Addressing the technical and regulatory hurdles in the fuel production cycle for advanced reactor concepts.
• Enabling the transport of larger quantities of HALEU to fuel future fleets of advanced reactors.

Development: Technology Readiness Level (TRL): 3 - Analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof-of-concept.

IP Status:        US Patent Application No. 17/447,712, “Devices and Systems for Material Transportation,” BEA Docket No. BA-1298.

INL seeks to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.

Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.