Matthew Denman

My opinions are my own. I mainly tweet about results from my R package that can search NRCs ADAMS database.

[Matthew Denman @MattRoyDen]

New RSS feed is up for the KRONOS reactor. https://t.co/NTogB0uefx

[NRC @NRCgov]

✅ #NRCNews: We've kicked off the formal review of the @UofIllinois application for an advanced microreactor. https://t.co/0gMFCuDv5u

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” - Dr. Seuss

Every day is #EarthDay at Kairos Power thanks to our talented and committed team members who are laser-focused on making a positive impact on people and the environment through the development of clean, reliable, advanced reactor technology. 🌎

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

Kairos Power recently received the 28th National Award for Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The @nuclearmuseum plays a vital role in preserving the legacy of nuclear science and we are honored to be recognized for this achievement and to be part of the state’s long and proud history of nuclear innovation.

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

🏗️Construction crews from Kairos Power and Barnard were up at the crack of dawn placing concrete for the first section of our base mat foundation for Hermes 1 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The base mat will be installed in sections over the coming months.

Once finished, it will support the seismic damper system that will further stabilize the reactor building.

[Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission @CNSC_CCSN]

.@opg has submitted an application for a licence to operate 1 BWRX-300 reactor and an associated waste storage structure for the Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP).

We will conduct a thorough review of the application.

More about the DNNP: https://t.co/U09Xu3yCBt

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

The Pebble Extraction Machine is the “gatekeeper” for our fuel handling system that picks out pebbles one by one at a controlled rate for inspection and processing.

It recently passed 100,000-pebble circulation test without a single jam and is getting staged for installation in our second reactor-scale hardware demonstration known as ETU 2.

By proving out the system in ETU 2, we can optimize the design for our Hermes demonstration reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

[Adam Stein @Dr_A_Stein]

Two new papers claim nuclear plants increase cancer risk. That sounds alarming.
But they are not studies of radiation exposure. They are studies of geographic proximity and do not provide valid results. 🧵

[Rod Adams @Atomicrod]

Kairos Power (@KairosPower) produces fascinating newsletters that report on its progress along many important vectors.
You'll especially enjoy them if you care about manufacturing, construction, quality assurance and training. Those topics might not be great for cocktail party discussions, but they're really cool reading for nuclear geeks like me.
Since we're not guests making trivial small talk at a cocktail party, I hope you don't do the virtual equivalent of looking over my shoulder for an escape route.

Kairos's Feb 4 update is one of their best and most extensive newsletters to date. It provides many reasons for increased confidence in their ability to deliver on their promises and visions.

Among other topics, the update discusses their successes in using in-house manufacturing for key, unique components, the utility of pre-cast concrete for prefabricated shield construction, the value of creating a series engineering test units (ETU) to learn and refine processes used to manufacture and construct their reactors and their iterative efforts to improve their side of the licensing processes.

The discussion about the value of iterative ETUs is so useful that it deserves a sample quote:

"The ETU program provides invaluable experience and data to inform our future deployments. Thanks to the ETUs, we know how to build and operate reactor-scale systems. We know what they cost. And with every iteration, we become more efficient at delivering them."

Kairos expects to submit its Hermes operating license application later this year. That application will be able to reference or include via reference 14 NRC-approved topical reports.

Link in comments.

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

From raw graphite to finished product.

Kairos Power has successfully fabricated and assembled the graphite reflector for our second Engineering Test Unit (ETU 2.0).

This achievement clears the path for ETU 2.0 hot operations later this year, providing data and operational experience to support the deployment of the Hermes demonstration reactor in Tennessee.

Early on, we made a bold, strategic decision to manufacture the graphite blocks in-house to ensure they met our strict quality, schedule, and cost requirements.

Through vertical integration we are:
📈 Controlling the manufacturing lifecycle—eliminating external bottlenecks and ensuring that critical hardware is ready exactly when the project timeline demands it.

📉 Not just building; we’re optimizing.

By applying lessons learned from ETU 1.0, we reduced the total number of blocks required for the core design while increasing our production speed—a direct result of owning the process from start to finish.

🚀 Paving a path to commercialization.

This effort goes beyond ETU 2.0.

The manufacturing techniques, quality control standards, and assembly procedures we refine today are directly establishing the supply chain and workforce proficiency needed for the Hermes demonstration reactor and our future commercial fleet.

👷 Hard hats off to the core design, manufacturing, quality control, and Pre-Install Testing and Assembly teams for this defining accomplishment, which validates Kairos Power’s vertical integration strategy and helps clear the path to Hermes.

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

Great to host @GovNuclear’s Rian Bahran in Oak Ridge, Tenn. to see firsthand the progress we’re making on Hermes — the only Gen IV reactor under nuclear construction in the U.S.

Hermes is being supported through @ENERGY’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program and will receive high-assay low-enriched uranium from the Department to make fuel for the first core.

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

Iterate to innovate.

Check out our CEO Mike Laufer’s full interview on C.O.B. Tuesday’s latest podcast breaking down our strategy to deploy affordable advanced reactors at scale—and deliver with greater cost certainty.

[Veriten @TeamVeriten]

Today we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Mike Laufer, Co-Founder and CEO of @KairosPower, for a robust nuclear-focused #COBT. Kairos recently marked its nine-year anniversary and has grown to 500+ employees across its headquarters in Alameda, CA, its manufacturing development campus in Albuquerque, NM, and its Hermes Demonstration Reactor Campus in Oak Ridge, TN. Kairos is developing its fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR), which pairs TRISO pebble fuel with a low-pressure molten-salt coolant (“Flibe”) and is designed for modular deployment, including a two-reactor/one-turbine configuration delivering up to ~150 MWe.

The company’s Oak Ridge program includes Hermes 1, the first non-water-cooled reactor to receive an NRC construction permit, and Hermes 2, a commercial-scale demonstration plant intended to supply electricity to the grid. Mike earned his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. His research included work in reactor safety, design, licensing, and code validation for advanced non-light water reactors. We were thrilled to visit with Mike.

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

GOING WITH THE FLOW: We just completed water testing of this 👇 new auxiliary pump at our manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, N.M.

It builds on lessons learned from our primary salt pump and is the first molten salt pump designed, built, and tested in-house that can be remotely replaced.

Why does this matter?

🔧Our customers will need reliable pumps that can be quickly serviced to maintain operations.

The pump will be part of an auxiliary system for our second Engineering Test Unit to support demonstration of salt sampling and chemistry control of the Flibe salt coolant later this summer.

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

https://t.co/AtXZUZIVxX

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

⚡Hermes 2 Groundbreaking

We’re preparing to break ground later this year in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Hermes 2 will supply 50 MW of clean power to the @TVAnews grid that powers @Google data centers.  (4/6)

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

📄Hermes Operating License Submittal

OLA submittal to the @NRCgov would be the first one ever for a non-light- water reactor —increasing regulatory certainty for our future plants. (3/6)

[Matthew Denman @MattRoyDen]

For example, the following NRC feedback on an ARC Clean Technology white paper ML25342A024 provides the following text (truncated).

[Matthew Denman @MattRoyDen]

The RSS feeds available on my website have all been converted to the new REST based API. The new API is more robust and has improved the analytic analysis of large documents. Let me kwown if something looks off. https://t.co/OMpDcjIkix

[Matthew Denman @MattRoyDen]

The new API also provides full text extractions for all PDFs returned in the search. I don't have any use for this info and currently simply throw it away.

It would be great training data for an LLM, if you want it please reach out.

[Kairos Power @KairosPower]

9⃣: We also installed this reactor vessel for ETU 3.0 that’s being built in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The non-nuclear prototype will be used to pilot remote handling and maintenance procedures and train operators for Hermes. (10/12)
https://t.co/KniDmtc8pz