Kairos Power’s Post

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed its final safety evaluation for the proposed Hermes 2 demonstration plant to be built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In its Final Safety Evaluation Report (FSER) released on July 19, NRC staff determined there are no safety aspects that would preclude issuing the construction permit for the facility. The conclusion aligns with the findings of the independent Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards issued two days earlier and comes just one year after Kairos Power submitted the Hermes 2 construction permit application in July 2023. In harmony with Kairos Power’s rapid iterative development approach, Hermes 2 would build upon learnings from the Hermes low-power demonstration reactor, adding power generation to demonstrate complete plant architecture and supply clean electricity to the grid. Its objectives would be to further reduce risk on the path to commercializing KP-FHR technology, accelerating Kairos Power’s experience in licensing, construction, operations, training, and decommissioning to help achieve cost certainty for future commercial plants. “We are proud to have partnered with the NRC on an effective and efficient review and are delighted with the staff’s completion nearly four months ahead of schedule,” said Peter Hastings, Kairos Power Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality. “We have expended a tremendous effort to provide all the necessary information to support the staff’s findings while identifying opportunities to streamline review processes and demonstrating definitively that advanced reactors can be licensed under the existing regulatory framework.” “We are very happy to be in the position to pilot the NRC’s newly updated process for streamlining the mandatory hearing,” said Darrell Gardner, Senior Director of Licensing. “We look forward to continuing to discern possibilities for additional efficiencies. Demonstrating regulatory successes is not only essential to advancing Kairos Power’s mission to enable the clean energy transition; it is also important to reinforce the nation’s nuclear energy leadership goals.” Thank you to the entire Kairos Power team for making this achievement possible – an important milestone for advancing our clean energy mission in East Tennessee and across the country. Read more in the NRC’s press release: https://lnkd.in/g9M96ggz

In a fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor, the Primary Salt Pump performs a critical function: circulating molten salt through the core to remove the heat produced by fission. This heat can then be used to generate electricity or for other industrial applications.     Designing and building the right pump for the job was an important objective of Kairos Power’s first Engineering Test Unit. Now, with 2,000+ hours of pumped salt operations under our belts, we can say the first iteration of the Primary Salt Pump was a success. However, it also provided opportunities for learning and improvement.    Read on for some of the lessons we took away from this critical component and how we’re applying them to ETU 2.0. 

In the fall of 2023, Kairos Power successfully conducted the largest transfer of molten fluoride salt ever when we filled our non-nuclear Engineering Test Unit with the coolant known as “Flibe.” This historic achievement was made possible by research and development conducted at the Kairos Power Salt Lab and experience from the design and operation of our Molten Salt Purification Plant. Here are some of the lessons we learned along the way:

At Kairos Power, safety is at the core of everything we do. So, before embarking on the world’s largest Flibe test, we first had to validate the robust environmental health and safety (EHS) programs that would help ensure its success. The first Engineering Test Unit (ETU 1.0) provided a vehicle to implement industry best practices and reinforce the internal safety culture that contributes to a safe and healthy work environment for the Kairos Power team.    As we set our sights on ETU 2.0 and the Hermes Demonstration Reactor, we're reflecting on lessons learned from ETU 1.0 that will help optimize operations and increase efficiency while maintaining exemplary safety standards. Read on to learn more.  

With a busy season of building ahead of us, the Kairos Power team continues to make steady progress toward our clean energy mission. Read our June newsletter for the latest on the Engineering Test Unit series, plans to break ground in Tennessee, new manufacturing infrastructure coming online, and how we’re engaging with local communities. https://lnkd.in/g3Y3NswK

Testing the supply chain is a challenge in any new industry, but doing so as a startup can be even more daunting. In fact, that was one of our primary objectives when we set out to build the first iteration of Kairos Power’s non-nuclear Engineering Test Unit.    We recognized that exercising supplier relationships and establishing new production capabilities for high-temperature salt components would both be critical to delivering the Hermes Demonstration Reactor.  When we acquired the ETU site in February 2020, we had no way of knowing how the COVID-19 pandemic would further stress the supply chain. This experience presented new and unique challenges and a set of vital lessons learned that are shaping the path forward for ETU 2.0 and beyond.  

At Kairos Power, when we say *rapid* iterative development, we mean it.   In November 2023, Kairos Power commenced hot Flibe testing on the first iteration of our non-nuclear Engineering Test Unit (ETU 1.0). Less than six months later, we have concluded active operations, removed the salt coolant from the system, and will start decommissioning in the coming weeks.   As we reflect on the success of ETU 1.0, we plan to share some of the invaluable lessons we’ve learned along the way. From technical hurdles to supply chain challenges, we’ll share how we leaned into our vertical integration strategy to establish key capabilities in parallel with the iterative design-build-test effort to deliver the largest Flibe system in the world.   Our goal in sharing these lessons is to demonstrate the value of our rapid iterative development approach and how we’re reducing development risk with every step as we bring new advanced reactor technology to market.    We hope you’ll enjoy following us on this journey. But first, a look back at the test that was.  

Last Saturday, Kairos Power hosted a day of exploration at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Kids and families were invited to discover the wonders of nuclear energy by immersing themselves in fun, hands-on activities and demonstrations led by Kairos Power engineers and other professionals from the local industry. Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Edward Blandford updated attendees about the Hermes Demonstration Reactor project and Kairos Power’s plans to break ground in Oak Ridge this summer.   “We are excited to get started on this new chapter for Kairos Power. Our campus in Oak Ridge will play a critical role in advancing our clean energy technology as home to both Hermes and the third iteration of our non-nuclear Engineering Test Unit. We look forward to working with local partners and are grateful to have the support of the community as we bring these facilities to life.” Thank you to the AMSE team and volunteers from the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee Valley Authority, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Roane State Community College, Ultra Safe Nuclear, Type One Energy Group, ORAU, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, and the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center for helping to make the event a success. And thank you to all the families who came out to spend the day with us. Our team was thrilled to engage with visitors of all ages and share how Kairos Power is working to deploy clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy in East Tennessee and beyond.