Energy: ENEA and newcleo work at first 'simulator' of fourth generation nuclear reactor

Demonstrating the feasibility of safe, reliable and sustainable nuclear systems by developing - by 2026 - the first electrical simulator of a liquid-lead cooled reactor is the goal pursued by ENEA and newcleo at the ENEA Research Center in Brasimone (Bologna), an international center of excellence for the development of liquid metal technologies.

PRECURSOR is the new simulator capable of reproducing the operation of a non-nuclear prototype in its technological, thermofluidodynamic, and monitoring aspects. This prototype will pave the way for newcleo's first Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR), which will be operational in France in 2031. Recently, newcleo's LFR technology was selected as one of the projects of strategic interest by the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors.

A high-value innovation scale-up founded in 2021 specializing in the development of fourth-generation nuclear systems, newcleo has invested more than 50 million euro in the ENEA Brasimone Research Center with the aim of helping revive the hub and implement there many of the elements of its development strategy. Leveraging the skills, expertise and background achieved, ENEA and newcleo aim to increase collaboration to strengthen a shared strategy on LFR technology.

"The LFR is one of the most promising nuclear technologies that can close the fuel cycle, maintain Italy's technological leadership on innovative nuclear systems in Europe, reduce the time-to-market of the new era of nuclear reactors and contribute to the decarbonization of the energy mix, supporting the energy transition," pointed out Luciano Cinotti, chief scientific officer and co-founder of newcleo.

"Since 2000, ENEA has conducted activities at the Brasimone Center to develop liquid lead-cooled fast reactor technology," said Mariano Tarantino, head of the ENEA Nuclear Systems for Energy Division. "Since then we have worked on heavy liquid metal technologies, developing innovative infrastructure and facilities including CIRCE, an infrastructure which is a reference point in Europe for heavy liquid metal technologies applied to fourth-generation liquid-lead cooled reactors. Today, also thanks to this work, ENEA is a worldwide reference for the development of LFRs and will support the implementation of PRECURSOR," he concluded.

ENEA has provided infrastructures, skills, experience and expertise of the Brasimone Research Center for validation and experimental qualification of systems and components, safety analysis, training and experimentation. It will also support newcleo in the design, construction and operation of new plants, including PRECURSOR, and in the design of the central core and safety analysis, development and validation of calculation codes, thanks also to the expertise of its Bologna Research Center.

Lead-cooled Fast Reactors (LFRs)

CIRCE