US DOE Awards Sporian Contract for Sensor Evaluation for Gen IV Reactors

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Sporian Microsystems a contract for evaluating sensor designs, advanced materials and packaging, which would be made use of in Generation IV nuclear reactors.

The reactor is being altered in such a way that it can utilize the fuels that are created from recycled reactor fuel. To foil the people who plan on using nuclear power plants for acts of terrorism or even utilize them for developing materials for nuclear weaponry, enhancements in physical protection and cutbacks of the proliferation risk are being incorporated into the Gen IV reactors, along with increased reliability and safety features.

The main purpose of the Sporian sensor and materials technology is to ensure that it could survive in harsh and difficult conditions such as high pressures and temperatures and even when in contact with neutron and gamma radiation, fast helium flow and liquid sodium. Developments would be performed based on Sporian’s proficiency in technology such as PDCs, MEMS and electronics packaging. Dr. Yiping Liu, the Principal Investigator for Sporian has revealed that this sensor had originally been created for propulsion turbines and for the conventional turbines based on coal and natural gas. It was now to be used for Gen IV reactors. The technology evaluation would also be carried out by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), who has been subcontracted by Sporian.