First US nuclear reactor in 50 years to supply power where grids can’t

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is advancing the development of advanced microreactor technology through the MARVEL project, the first U.S. nuclear reactor in 50 years designed to supply power and heat in remote locations where traditional grids are unavailable. Managed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), MARVEL is an 85-kW thermal, 20-kW electric test reactor cooled by a sodium-potassium (NaK) alloy. It uses uranium hydride fuel rods moderated by hydrogen and surrounded by a beryllium reflector, employing existing technologies and off-the-shelf components for faster construction. The reactor is located at INL’s Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) and aims to serve as a physical test bed for integrated testing of reactor components, autonomous controls, microgrid interfaces, and process heat applications in a real nuclear environment. MARVEL’s development is divided into three phases over approximately five years. The first phase, currently underway, focuses on finalizing design,