The Department of Energy has completed construction of its National Research Innovation Center’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed, located at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory, the agency said last week.
DOME is a first-of-a-kind facility that will allow private nuclear companies to test their microreactor technologies. The test bed facility serves to accelerate development, testing and demonstration of microreactors, DOE said in an April 8 press release.
“DOME’s completion comes at a pivotal time for the United States as first-movers in industry seek to accelerate the development and demonstration of advanced nuclear technologies that can help ensure the nation’s energy security and economic prosperity,” DOE said.
The facility, backed by the Department of Commerce, is designed to contain fueled microreactor experiments that can produce up to 20 megawatts of thermal energy, DOE said.
Radiant has already started its scheduled year-long testing of its demonstration Kaleidos unit at the DOME facility, according to the release. Westinghouse was also selected for testing at DOME for its eVinci microreactor.
Experiments at the DOME facility are scheduled through an annual competitive process, DOE said. The next request for application will open this spring.
“NRIC [National Reactor Innovation Center] built this test bed to answer the need of industry to have a facility that would enable them to swiftly convert their innovative concepts into practical demonstrations,” Brad Tomer, National Reactor Innovation Center director, said. “With the information gathered from their testing at DOME, reactor developers will turn pioneering ideas into validated technologies to advance nuclear energy.”
DOME was built from the repurposed Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) containment structure and stands 100 feet tall and 80 feet in diameter. EBR-II was a sodium-cooled fast reactor that was designed, constructed and operated by DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory.
The reactor began operation in 1964 and shuttered in 1994 and was transferred to Idaho National Laboratory’s possession in 2005.