TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Advanced Materials Testing with MRTI Capsule A revolutionary technology for advanced materials testing in the nuclear industry, providing in-situ temperature-controlled active instrumentation for versatile materials irradiation testing. Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), offers the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this Advanced Materials Testing with MRTI Capsule technology. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people. Overview: The Molten-salt Research Temperature-Controlled Irradiation (MRTI) Capsule is a revolutionary technology for the nuclear industry to test advanced materials for next-generation nuclear reactors. The MRTI Capsule utilizes a custom immersion heater to allow in-situ control of testing conditions up to 1000C for various molten salt or molten metal systems while irradiating in a neutron flux field. This creates a potential for streamlined testing of various salts and coolant compositions at various temperatures. Collecting both in-situ and ex-situ data is critical to understanding structural materials' performance and nuclear fuels' performance. Description: The MRTI Capsule is a sealed capsule made of IN625 material with a custom immersion heater to control the temperature of the tested material. Thermocouples and an optical fiber pressure sensor record the in-situ temperatures experienced by the materials throughout irradiation. Gas gap composition, radial radiative heat shield thickness, and a wide range of heater powers are used to reach the desired equilibrium temperature of the system, which can be adjusted for a wide range of testing needs. The MRTI capsule is designed for post-irradiation examination (PIE) systems for collecting off-gas and retrieving desired testing samples. Benefits: • Collect in-situ and ex-situ data for advanced materials testing. • A versatile and high-temperature irradiation test vehicle • Enables testing of fueled molten salts, a first in the industry. • Quick turnaround for many different salt compositions • Provides prototypic conditions for testing material behavior. Applications: • Advanced nuclear reactor designs using molten salt or molten metal coolants. Development Status: TRL 4 technology has been validated in a laboratory environment. IP Status: Provisional Patent Application No. 63/382,065, “In-situ Temperature-controlled Active Instrumentation Capsule for Versatile Materials Irradiation Testing,” BEA Docket No. BA-1451. INL seeks to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities. Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at
[email protected].