research
The Chain Reaction Stopped Before the Heat
Los Alamos brought a compact reactor core to sustained criticality above 800 C while deliberately keeping the experiment at zero power.
Summary
Los Alamos brought a compact reactor core to sustained criticality above 800 C while deliberately keeping the experiment at zero power.
Los Alamos National Laboratory brought its ZiaCore microreactor experiment to criticality at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center in Nevada after tests in April and May. The low-enriched uranium-dioxide core, zirconium-hydride moderator and heat-pipe design sustained a chain reaction above 800 C, but operators stopped before measurable fission heat was produced. The result is a proof-of-principle physics demonstration, not a power-generating reactor or commercial deployment.
Why it matters
Los Alamos brought a compact reactor core to sustained criticality above 800 C while deliberately keeping the experiment at zero power.
Limits and context
- Los Alamos National Laboratory brought its ZiaCore microreactor experiment to criticality at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center in Nevada after tests in April and May.
- The result is a proof-of-principle physics demonstration, not a power-generating reactor or commercial deployment.
Key claims
Los Alamos brought a compact reactor core to sustained criticality above 800 C while deliberately keeping the experiment at zero power.
Qualification: Los Alamos National Laboratory brought its ZiaCore microreactor experiment to criticality at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center in Nevada after tests in April and May.
Evidence: source-2026-07-31-001
Sources
- Los Alamos National Laboratory via Newswise: ZiaCore reaches criticalityLos Alamos National Laboratory · secondary reporting
Corrections
No corrections have been recorded for this story.