Available for Licensing: Composite Vessel-Shield Technology for Transportable Microreactor Systems
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The Idaho National Laboratory (INL), under the Department of Energy, has issued a Special Notice regarding the availability for licensing of its Composite Vessel-Shield Technology for Transportable Microreactor Systems. This innovative technology integrates reactor vessel and radiation shielding functions into a single, weight-optimized structural system for mobile nuclear power applications. This is a licensing opportunity, not a procurement; INL is not seeking proposals or technologies.
Technology Overview
The technology proposes a laminated sandwich composite designed to consolidate the pressure vessel and radiation shield, addressing the fundamental logistical problem of excessive weight in conventional microreactor designs for transport. It utilizes advanced manufacturing methods to adapt aerospace composite techniques for nuclear service, potentially expanding the viable design space for mobile nuclear systems currently constrained by weight.
Key Advantages & Applications
- Consolidates vessel and shield into one structure, significantly reducing the mass penalty of treating them as separate systems.
- Additively manufactured multilayered composites resist internal buckling and greatly minimize debonding under the extreme pressures of nuclear reactor environments.
- Incorporates tungsten and boron high-temperature ceramic fill within the core layer for combined gamma-ray and neutron attenuation, integrating shielding directly into the reactor vessel.
- Potential Applications: Transportable microreactors requiring road, rail, or air shipment; remote or off-grid installations where system weight affects site accessibility; defense and space deployment requiring mobile nuclear power; and domestic supply chains for nuclear-grade composite manufacturing.
Licensing & Contact
This technology is available for licensing through Idaho National Laboratory. Interested parties should contact the primary point of contact to request licensing information.
- Opportunity Type: Special Notice (Licensing Opportunity)
- Set-Aside: None specified
- Response Date: July 1, 2026
- Published Date: May 14, 2026
- Contact: Javier Martinez (javier.martinez@inl.gov)