NAAREA, a France-based nuclear microreactor developer, will build NAAREA’s eXtra Advanced Nuclear Reactor (XAMR) microreactor in partnership with Phoenix Manufacture. The XAMR microreactor is a molten salt, fast neutron reactor, capable of producing 40 megawatts of electricity and 80 megawatts of thermal energy from nuclear spent fuel.
Phoenix Manufacture, based in Niort, France, specializes in industrializing complex devices for military, nuclear, oil & gas, aeronautics, and robotics markets.
Building microreactor using 3D printing
The deal provides industrial solutions to develop the XAMR microreactor. The contract is mainly for prototyping, first-of-a-kind (FOAK) production, and, intriguingly, mass production.
The next-generation nuclear company, whose name stands for Nuclear Abundant Affordable Resourceful Energy for All, and Phoenix Manufacture will use technologies like 3D printing and will build a combined plant with specialized reprocessing facilities.
“We have chosen to rely on the expertise and skill of Phoenix Manufacture, which will contribute to the design of an XAMR microreactor made in France. Incorporating additive manufacturing represents a major asset for us: it will allow us to produce parts with consistent quality controlled in situ at each step of the manufacturing process,” NAAREA CEO and Founder Jean-Luc Alexandre said.
NAAREA’s CEO added, “Additive manufacturing also makes it possible to lower production costs, reduce assembly needs, and meet the highest standards in terms of safety and security, which remains our absolute priority.”
Additionally, this partnership demonstrates NAAREA’s dedication to collaborating with French partners, strengthening local French industry capabilities, and advancing technological progress.
The strategic plan to build the XAMR microreactor
The partnership is built on five key stages that will last until 2032.
Initial stage: This includes the verification of raw materials and manufacturing feasibility of NAAREA-designed additive parts.
Prototyping: This phase highlights component prototyping for the XAMR microreactor.
Series manufacture: This stage revolves around supplying the components required for mass production and the FOAK.
Increasing production capacity: The fourth phase includes research into the establishment of an integrated facility for the production of XAMR microreactor components, resource sharing, and bilateral skill development.
Reprocessing: The last phase would be the assessment of methods for recovering and reusing production-related waste and recycling used parts.
“We firmly believe that this disruptive technology is profoundly transforming all industries, in particular the nuclear sector. In our collaboration with NAAREA, we share a common ambition: to become key agents of change. Together, we are creating positive momentum to strengthen sectors contributing to sovereignty and shape an ambitious technological future,” added CEO and co-founder of Phoenix Manufacture Marco Calcamuggi.
3D printing and nuclear energy
The development of next-generation energy solutions is increasingly enabled by additive manufacturing. For example, the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) is using Desktop Metal’s X-Series binder jet systems for ceramic micro-encapsulated fuel. The serial production is used by USNC’s micromodular reactor (MMR) energy systems.
Elsewhere, QuesTek Innovations, a computational materials design expert, received $1.1 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II funding from the US Department of Energy (DoE). The proceeds will be used to research and develop new alloys and 3D printing techniques, particularly for future nuclear reactor manufacturing.
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Featured image shows a render of the planned XAMR microreactor. Image via NAAREA.
