California-based developer of liquid metal fast reactors, Oklo Inc., in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory, has successfully demonstrated the key stages of its advanced fuel recycling process from start to finish.
Collaboration and Funding
Oklo highlighted that the completion of the demonstration “represents a significant advancement in Oklo’s efforts to expand its fuel recycling capabilities and establish a commercial-scale recycling facility to augment advanced reactor fuel supplies and enhance fuel cost-effectiveness.”
Supported by a $5 million cost-share award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) under the Optimizing Nuclear Waste and Advanced Reactor Disposal Systems (ONWARDS) Program, this project aims to enable the deployment of a commercial-scale advanced fuel recycling facility.
Unique Features and Benefits of Oklo’s Technology
Oklo’s fuel recycling technology is designed to extract over 90% of the remaining energy potential from used nuclear fuel, which can then be utilized in Oklo’s powerhouses to generate clean energy. Notably, it incorporates distinctive proliferation-resistant features, including maintaining the consolidation of transuranic materials.
The company anticipates that the introduction of commercial fuel recycling operations will lead to up to 80% savings on its fuel costs, creating long-term value through improved fuel efficiency, the generation of alternative fuel sources, and a reduction in high-level waste requiring permanent disposal.
Leadership Perspectives on Fuel Recycling
Jacob DeWitte, Oklo’s co-founder and CEO, emphasized the importance of fuel recycling in advancing their mission, stating, “Oklo’s use of fast fission technology positions us well to realize these fuel recycling benefits. The success of this project brings us closer to bringing a commercial-scale domestic fuel recycling facility online, which is crucial for strengthening our business model and advancing economic viability.”
ARPA-E Director Evelyn Wang echoed this sentiment, stating, “We recognize that recycling is an essential pathway to reduce high-level waste and advance nuclear energy with safe and sustainable domestic fuel stocks.
Through ARPA-E’s ONWARDS Program, Oklo is working to achieve these goals. This milestone marks an important step forward in the team’s progress as they work towards economically viable nuclear fuel recycling.”
Licensing Plans and Future Outlook
In January 2023, Oklo submitted a Licensing Project Plan to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), outlining its plans for pre-application engagement activities that will support the future licensing of a commercial-scale nuclear fuel recycling facility.
Oklo, established in 2013, aims to commercialize its liquid metal fast reactor technology with the Aurora ‘powerhouse,’ a fast neutron reactor that uses heat pipes to transfer heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system for electricity generation.
The powerhouse utilizes metallic high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel to produce approximately 15 MWe of electricity, in addition to producing usable heat.