MARVEL Microreactor Installed for Testing

The full-scale replica of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) MARVEL microreactor has been moved to a facility in Pennsylvania where it will be used to test the behavior of sodium-potassium and lead-bismuth coolants. The Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) sodium-potassium-cooled microreactor will generate 100 kW and is expected to begin operation at INL’s Transient Reactor Test Facility by the end of 2024. It will be used to develop regulatory approval processes, test microreactor applications, evaluate systems for remote monitoring, and develop autonomous control technologies, and to explore and test microreactor capabilities for applications such as thermal storage, water purification and district heating. It will also be connected to INL’s first nuclear microgrid.

The non-nuclear prototype, which is a full-scale replica of microreactor, stands 12 feet tall and weighs 2,000 pounds.

Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.

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Category: Science

Source: Next Big Future