US Department of Energy’s
Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program
The next generation of American nuclear reactors — from concept to demonstration
Control rods are made of Inconel with boron sandwiched between an inner and outer Inconel cylinder
Helium Pressure: 7.0 MPa
Designed for a 60 year operating life
Feed-water inlet temperature: 220°C
All material used falls within existing ASME code cases
Reactor: Xe-100
X-energy’s reactor design is based on high-temperature gas reactor. As a Generation-IV reactor technology, with a proven history, the Xe-100 design is simple, meltdown-proof and “walk-away safe.” Its use of encapsulated TRISO fuel fuel brings unparalleled safety and performance benefits.
The Xe-100 consists of four 80 MWe reactors and a total output of 320 MWe of flexible, reliable, carbon-free power. The design includes the ability to scale-up the plant by adding additional units to increase energy output – without the need to build an entirely new facility.
Fuel: TRISO-X
TRISO stands for TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel. Each TRISO particle consists of a uranium, carbon and oxygen fuel kernel, which is encapsulated in three layers of carbon and ceramic-based coating that prevents radioactive fission products from being released. TRISO particles are extremely small and will be fabricated into tennis ball-sized spheres called “pebbles” that are ideal for a high temperature gas reactor.
TRISO is the safest form of uranium fuel. It has great structural strength and durability, as well as the ability to withstand high temperatures – leading to better and more efficient fuel performance. With triple-coated layers, each particle is its own containment system and retains fission products under all reactor conditions and temperatures. In other words, TRISO fuel cannot melt down.
The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program is a big opportunity for small nuclear reactors.
The ARDP is designed to help the next generation of American nuclear reactors make the transition from concept to demonstration. In 2020, the DOE selected X-energy to deliver a commercial TRISO fuel fabrication facility and a four module version of its Xe-100 high temperature gas cooled reactor.
The U.S. Congress and the Administration continue to demonstrate their leadership in recognizing that advanced nuclear energy is an important carbon-free base-load power source that will allow the US and the world to achieve global carbon reductions by 2050.
X-energy signs Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) Cooperative Agreement.
March 01, 2021 – X-energy announces it has signed the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) Cooperative Agreement, officially marking the beginning of the company's participation in ARDP and partnership with DOE. This ~$2.5 billion project will enable X-energy to build the world’s first commercial scale advanced nuclear reactor with Energy Northwest in Washington state.
DOE Awards X-energy $80 million to Build an Advanced Reactor & Fuel Facility.
On October 14, 2020, the US Department of Energy announced that X-energy was one of two companies selected to deliver an advanced nuclear reactor by 2027. The award comes with an initial $80 million in funding with hundreds of millions more pledged throughout the lifetime of the program.
Recent Updates
Highlights
$80 million awarded to X-energy
X-energy received half of the $160 million ARDP award allocated by the DOE.
320 MWhe / 80 MWhe reactor
That is nearly half the size of the smallest operating pressurized water reactor operating in the US today.
2 companies selected for ARDP award
TerraPower was also selected to build a 345 MWhe sodium cooled fast reactor, but only X-energy will also be building a fuel fabrication facility.
7 years to build a reactor
X-energy will go from an advanced reactor design to a demonstration reactor in the same amount of time it takes to simply build a conventional pressurized water reactor in the US.
First commercial TRISO fuel fabrication facility in the US
X-energy will use part of its ARDP award to build the first commercial TRISO fuel fabrication facility in the US to produce its proprietary TRISO-X fuel.
$139 Million in total DOE grants to X-energy
The DOE has been a longtime believer in the Xe-100 technology. Since 2016, the DOE has supported X-energy’s work on its reactor and TRISO-X fuel with $139 million in R&D awards.
$1.23 Billion; DOE budget for ARDP over the next seven years
The Department of Energy will invest approximately $1.23 billion in X-energy’s project over the seven-year period for this demonstration.
50-50 cost share, totaling ~$2.5 Billion
X-energy and the Department of Energy will split the cost of designing and building the company’s Xe-100 reactor.
ARDP Program Launch
On May 14, 2020, the US Department of Energy launched its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program with an initial $230 million in R&D awards. The bulk of this funding was reserved to support the development of two advanced reactors within the next decade.
ARDP Awarded to X-energy
On October 14, 2020, the US Department of Energy awarded X-energy $80 million through its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. X-energy was one of just two companies selected to participate in the program to demonstrate an advanced nuclear reactor within the next decade.
X-energy signs Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) Cooperative Agreement
X-energy announces it has signed the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) Cooperative Agreement, officially marking the beginning of the company's participation in ARDP and partnership with DOE.
Preliminary Design & Analysis Report
This report covers key aspects of the reactor’s design including its software, its ability to withstand earthquakes, and the core’s capacity to contain neutrons during a fission reaction.
Regulatory Readiness Report
This report is designed to ensure that X-energy’s reactor design meets the standards of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy, and that the company has all the required documentation prepared for the regulatory review process.
Fuel facility R&D center operational
X-energy is committed to establishing a commercial nuclear fuel fabrication facility to produce its TRISO-X nuclear fuel as part of its ARDP award. The establishment of a fuel facility R&D center will expedite progress toward a full-scale fabrication facility and will be able to furnish small quantities of fuel before a commercial production line is ready.
Test Programs HTF preliminary design complete
X-energy’s Xe-100 reactor is cooled with liquid helium. The Helium Test Facility is a critical laboratory for experimenting with the control of this frigid liquid under the extreme temperatures and pressures it will experience when it flows through an Xe-100 reactor
Plant Design & Development Preliminary Design Complete
This report marks the end of the design phase of X-energy’s four reactor plant that it is building through the ARDP.
Simulator Control Room Design Report
Modern nuclear reactors benefit from having a simulated control room where technicians can learn how to safely operate new types of reactors. This report will finalize the design of the control room simulator for the Xe-100 plant and clear the way for construction.
LMP Report
In summer of 2020, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the Licensing Modernization Project, which aims to streamline the development of advanced non-light water reactors. This report documents how the new process was applied to the Xe-100 design and will help improve the licensing process for future advanced reactors.
Final Reactor Design Review
This report details the results of a review of the preliminary design report. Once this report is filed, the reactor design process will be finished and X-energy will focus solely on hardware manufacturing and fuel fabrication.
Xe-100 Reactor & TRISO-X Fuel
The Xe-100 is an 80MWe (scalable to a 320 MWe four-pack) high temperature gas-cooled reactor, it uses TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel (TRISO), manufactured by X-energy, that can integrate into large, regional electricity systems as a base and load-following source of low-carbon power. As such, it can optimize grid use of low-emission, intermittent renewables and other clean power. The reactor is also ideal for project sites and other power applications, including a source for industrial process heat.
X-energy and its supply chain partners will deliver the commercial four-unit nuclear power plant of its Xe-100 reactor design and a commercial scale TRISO fuel fabrication facility.
Xe-100 Reactor
We are designing the safest, most efficient and most advanced small modular reactors for a wide range of global markets & applications.
TRISO-X Fuel
We use TRISO particle fuel. We manufacture our own proprietary version (TRISO-X) to ensure supply & quality control.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ARDP?
The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program was launched by the Department of Energy in May, 2020. The goal of the program is to support the development of advanced nuclear reactors in the United States. This program is expected to produce the first functioning advanced nuclear reactors (i.e., non-light water) in the United States.
The ARDP will disperse $230 million in funding in three tranches to foster the development of advanced nuclear reactor technologies. X-energy was one of two companies selected for the first tranche of awards, which is a fastlane program to demonstrate our advanced reactor within the next decade.
Why is X-energy participating in the ARDP?
X-energy has a long history with the Department of Energy, which was quick to recognize the potential of our Xe-100 reactor. Since 2016, the DOE has supported the development of the Xe-100 reactor as well as X-energy’s proprietary TRISO-X nuclear fuel with $139 million in R&D awards. We believe that participating in the ARDP is the fastest way to get our next-generation nuclear technology out of the lab and into the real world.
When will the project be complete?
In accordance with the timeline established by Congress and DOE, the project will take seven years to complete and will be on-line within the next decade.. A detailed timeline demonstrating an ability to complete the project in seven years was a key part of DOE’s evaluation process and the awardees have developed comprehensive project schedules.
Usually nuclear plants take over a decade to build and cost upwards of $10 billion. What makes this project different?
Compared to the existing fleet of nuclear energy reactors, advanced and small modular reactors will be easier, faster and more affordable to build since they can be manufactured off-site and then be assembled at the project location.
These savings, combined with lower operating costs – resulting from a smaller footprint, design improvements and safety enhancements – provide significant cost reductions. The X-energy design will require less capital investment and financing, as well as an ability to affordably add incremental power generation if needed in the future.
Is it safe?
Existing nuclear energy facilities are already extremely safe and the industry continuously evaluates and implements new procedures, systems and technologies to address any potential event. Through innovative designs and fuels, advanced nuclear energy technologies take safety to another level. The Xe-100 reactor utilizes TRISO fuel (discussed above), which cannot overheat, making this reactor walk-away safe (meaning the plant atomically shuts down without any human action). The inherent safety of the fuel, combined with other safety features – such as the use of helium instead of water – makes this the safest nuclear energy design to date.