TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: Heat Pipe Reactor Fire Mitigation and Suppression System
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The Heat Pipe Reactor Fire Mitigation and Suppression System developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory transforms standard heat pipes in alkali metal-cooled nuclear reactors into intelligent, sensor-activated defense elements that respond to fire conditions within milliseconds. By integrating an inert gas chamber around each heat pipe, a phase change material jacket that doubles as a fire retardant, and multiple valve-controlled suppressant injection points, the system creates layered, redundant protection without requiring major redesigns of the reactor core. Temperature and pressure sensors feed real-time data to a controller that triggers suppressant injection—typically a boron compound—from both ends of the heat pipe if thresholds are breached, while simultaneously evacuating the alkali metal working fluid and activating the surrounding inert gas as a flame blanket. An optional neutron absorber layer, preloaded in gaps between fuel rods and heat pipes, can be released to reduce core reactivity, providing a unique combined fire suppression and shutdown mechanism that enhances safety in remote or unattended deployments. The system is designed for advanced small and microreactors used in space missions, remote power stations, naval propulsion, and industrial high-temperature applications where space is limited and human intervention is not feasible. Its architecture supports flexible suppressant choices and customizable threshold logic, allowing integration into a variety of reactor designs including those with molten salt auxiliary systems. The inert gas barrier ensures incompatible fluids like water never contact reactive alkali metals, and the phase change material stores excess heat during normal operation while actively suppressing fires in abnormal events. With a Technology Readiness Level of 3 and protected under U.S. Patent 12,640,276, the technology is available for licensing through Los Alamos National Laboratory, offering commercial entities the opportunity to adopt this innovative safety solution for next-generation nuclear systems in demanding environments.
General Info
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Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USASet-Aside
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Full Description
The Heat Pipe Reactor Fire Mitigation and Suppression System from Los Alamos National Laboratory, transforms the heat pipes inside an alkali metal-cooled nuclear reactor from passive thermal conduits into active, sensor-driven fire defense components, giving designers of advanced small and microreactors a layered, automated safeguard against one of the most challenging hazards in their systems. By combining an inert gas buffer, a phase change material jacket, automated suppressant injection at multiple points and optional neutron-absorber dispersion into the reactor core, the system delivers redundant protection that responds within milliseconds of detecting fire-like conditions. This system enables advanced reactor developers to meet stringent safety expectations for remote, unattended and space-constrained deployments without redesigning the core architecture around bulky external suppression equipment.
How it Works
During normal operation, each heat pipe carries thermal energy away from the reactor core through the evaporation and condensation of an alkali metal working fluid, while valves connecting the heat pipe to external suppressant chambers remain closed. Temperature and pressure sensors continuously monitor the heat pipe reactor core and the valves near each heat pipe end, feeding data to a controller that compares readings against predefined thresholds. When a reading crosses the first threshold, the controller opens a valve and forces a fire suppressant material, typically a boron compound, into the interior of the heat pipe. If conditions worsen and a second threshold is crossed, additional valves activate to inject suppressant from the opposite end of the heat pipe, evacuate the working fluid through a dedicated valve and release suppressant into an inert gas chamber that annularly surrounds the heat pipe at the heat exchanger interface.
Technical Description
The system architecture centers on a heat pipe reactor core engaging a plurality of dual-ended or single-ended heat pipes, where both ends of each heat pipe extend externally of the core block so that suppressant can be introduced from either side of the core. A heat exchanger device sits at the heat rejection end of each heat pipe and defines an enclosed inert gas chamber that annularly surrounds the heat pipe, creating a physical gap between the alkali metal working fluid and any water-based cooling fluid. The chamber adds a second point of failure that must occur before incompatible fluids can interact, and the inert gas itself can serve as a blanketing agent for active flames. A layer of phase change material, typically a salt that doubles as a Class D fire extinguishing agent and alkali metal fire retardant, is disposed on the outer surface of the gas chamber, partitioned by fin-bearing components that both store thermal energy and improve heat transfer to the surrounding cooling fluid.
The active suppression and shutdown logic is governed by a controller comprising memory, processor, input/output circuitry and communications circuitry, optionally implemented as a distributed or cloud-based system. First and second valves regulate suppressant flow into each end of the heat pipe interior cavity from dedicated suppressant chambers, while third and fourth valves regulate suppressant flow into the inert gas chamber from separate chambers. The second valve at the heat pipe’s far end can also be configured to evacuate working fluid either simultaneously with or prior to suppressant injection, encouraging dispersion of the suppressant throughout the pipe. As an additional shutdown pathway, the reactor core block can include gaps between fuel rods and heat pipes in which a neutron absorber material such as cadmium or a boron compound is preloaded; on detection of an alkali metal fire, the controller can release that absorber into the gaps to reduce core reactivity and aid shutdown, providing a coupled fire-and-reactivity response unique to this design.
Advantages
- Multiple independent barriers between reactive alkali metals and potential ignition sources, reducing the probability of a single-point failure
- Automated, sensor-driven response that opens valves and injects suppressant within milliseconds of fire-like conditions being detected
- Dual-purpose phase change jacket that stores thermal energy during normal operation and acts as a fire retardant during an event
- Coupled fire suppression and reactor shutdown through optional neutron absorber dispersion into the core
- Flexible architecture compatible with both heat pipe-cooled reactor cores and auxiliary equipment such as molten salt pumps
- Configurable suppressant choices and threshold logic, allowing developers to tailor the response to their specific reactor design
Market Applications
- Nuclear Energy (microreactors, small modular reactors, heat pipe-cooled designs)
- Power Generation (remote bases, mining sites, Arctic installations)
- Space and Lunar Surface Power (radioisotope and fission surface power systems)
- Industrial Process Heat (high-temperature manufacturing, hydrogen production facilities)
- Marine and Naval Propulsion (advanced compact reactor concepts for maritime use)
- Nuclear Safety Instrumentation (sensor and controller subsystems for licensed reactor operators)
Development Status: TRL 3
U.S. Patent No. 12,640,276
LA-UR-26-25100
LANL Tech Partnerships: Unlock the Innovative Potential
Los Alamos National Laboratory offers a wide range of cutting-edge technologies and capabilities that may provide your company with a competitive edge in the market and unlock the innovative potential that can enhance, refine, and revolutionize your products.
LANL’s licensing program focuses on moving inventions developed by our researchers to commercial innovations. Patented and patent pending inventions and copyrighted software are available to existing and start-up companies through exclusive and non-exclusive licensing agreements. For specific discussions, please contact licensing@lanl.gov.
Note: This is not a call for external services for the development of this technology.
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