TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: Heat Pipe Reactor Fire Mitigation and Suppression System
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
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), under the Department of Energy, is offering a Technology Licensing Opportunity for its Heat Pipe Reactor Fire Mitigation and Suppression System. This innovative system enhances safety for advanced small and microreactors by transforming heat pipes into active, sensor-driven fire defense components. This is not a call for external services for technology development. Interested parties should contact LANL's licensing program by December 20, 2026.
Scope of Technology
The system integrates an inert gas buffer, a phase change material jacket, automated suppressant injection, and optional neutron-absorber dispersion into the reactor core. It provides redundant protection, responding within milliseconds to fire-like conditions. It enables advanced reactor developers to meet stringent safety expectations for remote, unattended, and space-constrained deployments without requiring bulky external suppression equipment. The architecture allows suppressant introduction from either side of the core, with a heat exchanger device defining an enclosed inert gas chamber.
Key Advantages
- Multiple independent barriers against reactive alkali metals and ignition sources.
- Automated, sensor-driven response with millisecond-level suppressant injection.
- Dual-purpose phase change jacket for thermal energy storage and fire retardation.
- Coupled fire suppression and reactor shutdown via optional neutron absorber dispersion.
- Flexible architecture compatible with heat pipe-cooled reactors and auxiliary equipment.
- Configurable suppressant choices and threshold logic.
Market Applications
- Nuclear Energy: Microreactors, small modular reactors, heat pipe-cooled designs.
- Power Generation: Remote bases, mining sites, Arctic installations.
- Space and Lunar Surface Power: Radioisotope and fission surface power systems.
- Industrial Process Heat: High-temperature manufacturing, hydrogen production.
- Marine and Naval Propulsion: Advanced compact reactor concepts.
- Nuclear Safety Instrumentation: Sensor and controller subsystems.
Licensing & Timeline
This technology is at TRL 3 and is protected by U.S. Patent No. 12,640,276. LANL's licensing program aims to move inventions to commercial innovations through exclusive and non-exclusive licensing agreements.
- Response Due: December 20, 2026
- Published: June 19, 2026
- Product/Service Code: AC32 (National Defense R&D Services; Defense Related Activities; Applied Research)
Additional Notes
For specific discussions regarding licensing, contact licensing@lanl.gov. This opportunity is for technology transfer and commercialization, not for procurement of services.