International Experts Define Best-Practices in Nuclear "Pebble" Fuel Manufacture

GREENBELT, Md., April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- X-energy, a Greenbelt-based nuclear engineering company, recently convened a group of world-renowned nuclear experts to discuss best-practices in pebble fuel fabrication. X-energy will use the spherical elements to fuel their Xe-100 gas-cooled nuclear reactor in the mid-2020s.

The Xe-100 will benefit from decades of research and safe operation in pebble bed reactors internationally, and X-energy plans to bring the remarkable features and benefits of pebble fuel to the United States for the first time. The Xe-100 will be ultra-safe, small-scale, compact, versatile, and able to respond in real-time to fluctuating grid demands.

Conference attendees represented over 160 years of combined experience in pebble-bed reactor projects around the world, spanning the AVR and HTGR reactors in West Germany, PBMR in South Africa, and the HTR-10 currently in operation in China.

Mike Kania, nuclear fuel consultant and conference attendee, said: "Pebbles are a remarkable nuclear fuel source: a completely self-contained, ultra-safe package that can be added in during active operation – effectively eliminating refueling shutdowns. This time-tested pebble technology has enormous potential to expand safe, zero-emission nuclear energy worldwide."

Doug McCuistion, X-energy Chief Operating Officer, said: "We are so grateful to have such an impressive gathering of international pebble fuel experts to share their insights and experiences as we develop the Xe-100. X-energy leverages decades of safe operation in pebble-bed reactors to make a significant contribution to our nation's vital carbon reduction goals."

About X-energy: X-energy is a cutting-edge nuclear engineering company seeking to significantly improve global quality of life through clean and affordable nuclear energy. X-energy is designing the Xe-100, a pebble-bed nuclear reactor that will expand nuclear power into entirely new markets in convenient increments of approximately 50MWe. The innovative, compact Xe-100 is ideally suited to locations with limited space or infrastructure, and its ultra-safe design allows siting close to population centers without risk to the public. Aiming for commercialization in the mid-2020s, the Xe-100 can advance the horizons of clean, reliable nuclear energy while minimizing or eliminating many of the risks and limitations of traditional nuclear designs. X-energy is based in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Contact:
Kyle Davis
Marketing & Communications Manager
[email protected] 
(301) 658-2324

SOURCE X-energy

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