GAIN Vouchers Awarded to Accelerate 7 Advanced Nuclear Technologies

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) announced today that seven companies will be provided vouchers to accelerate the innovation and application of advanced nuclear technologies. The vouchers provide companies access to the extensive nuclear research capabilities and expertise available across the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory complex.

Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (Cranberry Township, PA) will work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to perform irradiation testing and associated post-irradiation examination on a ceramic matrix composite for potential use in its eVinci microreactor.  

SHINE Technologies (Janesville, WI) will partner with Argonne National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory to assess sensor technologies and their placement in a fuel recycling system to ensure nuclear materials are adequately tracked. The approach will integrate a suite of instruments and computer codes created by the national labs to model this approach. 

Aalo Atomics (Austin, TX) will collaborate with the Idaho National Laboratory to evaluate modeling and simulation capabilities for the Aalo-1 reactor fuel and core system.  

ARC Clean Technology, Inc. (Washington, D.C.) will work with Argonne National Laboratory to update its simulation software with additional passive heat removal capabilities to better model its sodium-cooled reactor design. 

Global Nuclear Fuels – Americas (Wilmington, NC) will partner with Argonne National Laboratory to confirm the viability of their electroreduction technology to convert uranium oxide fuel stock into a metal that can be used for advanced reactor fuel.  

Boston Atomics (Boston, MA) will collaborate with Oak Ridge National Laboratory on a design review of an in-vessel fuel handling machine for a horizontally oriented integrated reactor and steam generator.  

Energy Northwest (Richland, WA) will work with Argonne National Laboratory to use climate forecasting for the next century to inform the design and selection of future nuclear reactor cooling systems and their impacts on electricity cost.  

GAIN voucher recipients do not receive direct financial awards. Vouchers provide funding to DOE laboratories to help businesses overcome critical technological and commercialization challenges. All awardees are responsible for a minimum 20 percent cost share, which could be an in-kind contribution. 

GAIN  was established by DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy and provides the nuclear community with the technical, regulatory, and financial support necessary to move innovative nuclear technologies toward commercialization while ensuring the continued, safe and economic operation of the existing fleet.   

This is the first round of GAIN vouchers awarded for FY 2024. 

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: 
Donna Kemp Spangler
P: 208-716-5113 
E:  Donna.KempSpangler@inl.gov