Funding will support the project team's small-scale research and development of Structured Plasma Cell-Thermionic Energy Conversion (SPACE-TEC), a nuclear fuel technology that directly converts nuclear heat into electricity, eliminating the need for a conventional power generation system.
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
August 12, 2025
minute read time
Funding will support the project team's small-scale research and development of Structured Plasma Cell-Thermionic Energy Conversion (SPACE-TEC), a nuclear fuel technology that directly converts nuclear heat into electricity, eliminating the need for a conventional power generation system. Specifically, the project team will (1) design and validate the SPACE-TEC system model, (2) fabricate and assemble a preliminary SPACE-TEC system, (3) test and validate preliminary system performance based on predicted metrics, (4) design, fabricate, test, and validate second generation prototype SPACE-TEC system, and (5) conduct additional analysis and validation of the SPACE-TEC system to meet final concept standards.