{"id":3030,"date":"2026-09-06T20:03:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T18:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/energianucleare.eu\/llnl-and-ampera-launch-thunder-thorium-triso-fuel-for-advanced-reactors\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T20:03:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T18:03:24","slug":"llnl-and-ampera-launch-thunder-thorium-triso-fuel-for-advanced-reactors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/energianucleare.eu\/en\/llnl-and-ampera-launch-thunder-thorium-triso-fuel-for-advanced-reactors\/","title":{"rendered":"LLNL and Ampera Launch THUNDER: Thorium TRISO Fuel for Advanced Reactors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory<\/strong> and nuclear startup <strong>Ampera<\/strong> have formalized a strategic partnership to develop <strong>TRISO<\/strong> fuel based on thorium-232, under a project named <strong>THUNDER<\/strong> \u2014 standing for Thorium Unimodal Droplet Ejection for Reactors. The announcement came on August 27, 2026, marking a concrete step toward a domestic advanced nuclear fuel supply chain for compact and subcritical systems.<\/p>\n<p>At the heart of the initiative is a material substitution: instead of the conventional uranium kernels used in standard TRISO fuel, THUNDER relies on <strong>thorium-232<\/strong>. TRISO \u2014 Tri-Structural Isotropic \u2014 is a fuel type in which tiny fissile particles are coated with layers of carbon and ceramic, capable of retaining radioactive byproducts even at extremely high temperatures. This property makes it well suited for fourth-generation reactors and microreactors.<\/p>\n<p>The choice of thorium is far from arbitrary. As LLNL has explained, thorium-232 is abundant in nature, produces a shorter-lived waste stream compared to uranium, and offers greater resistance to nuclear proliferation. Thorium-232 cannot sustain a chain reaction on its own: it absorbs a neutron and decays into fissile uranium-233, effectively breeding its own fuel during reactor operation \u2014 a mechanism that fundamentally changes the procurement logic compared to the conventional fuel cycle.<\/p>\n<p>On the technical side, the collaboration aims to refine <strong>liquid-metal-jetting<\/strong> technology to produce spherical thorium-232 kernels with uniform geometry, meeting the strict standards required for TRISO fuel. The work encompasses computational modeling, materials compatibility testing, high-temperature process development, and particle characterization. These activities build on earlier research carried out by LLNL in 2023 \u2014 the PowderJet project \u2014 in which a team led by engineer Viktor Sukhotskiy developed a particle production prototype using the same liquid-metal-jetting approach.<\/p>\n<p>Ampera, founded in 2025 and headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, brings its proprietary technology to the table, holding more than sixty patents in liquid-metal-jetting. LLNL contributes research infrastructure, scientific expertise, and validation capabilities. The startup&#8217;s stated goal is to &#8220;vertically integrate the entire fuel value chain, from mineral supply to advanced manufacturing.&#8221; In June, Ampera had already established an Australian subsidiary to secure thorium supplies, and in July it produced a full-scale model of its reactor core, printed in silicon carbide via additive manufacturing.<\/p>\n<p>Access to advanced fuel remains one of the most critical bottlenecks facing the next-generation nuclear industry. Dozens of reactor designs are currently in the demonstration or construction phase, yet industrial-scale TRISO production has yet to reach commercial maturity. A project like THUNDER does more than develop an alternative fuel type: it helps lay the manufacturing foundations that the entire SMR and microreactor supply chain will need in the years ahead. If testing proves successful, Ampera plans to launch thorium TRISO kernel production in Florida, targeting a fully domestic supply chain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and startup Ampera have launched the THUNDER project to develop thorium-232-based TRISO fuel, aiming to reduce dependence on uranium in advanced reactors. The agreement, announced on August 27, 2026, targets a scalable and safe domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":3027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>LLNL and Ampera Launch THUNDER: Thorium TRISO Fuel for Advanced Reactors - Energia nucleare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LLNL and Ampera launch THUNDER, a thorium-232 TRISO fuel project for advanced reactors. 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