Electromagnetic Pumps
Electromagnetic pumps are a key enabling technology towards the development of advanced molten-salt and liquid-metal reactors which can lead to low-waste, emission-free nuclear power plants such as small modular reactors (SMR) and micro-reactors. We are developing the next generation of electromagnetic pumps of the annular linear induction type for liquid metal and for molten-salt reactors as well as a family of products and services related to its design and fabrication.
ALIP
Electromagnetic pumps allow the safe use of molten salts and liquid metals as a working fluid in high temperature applications in the energy, propulsion and industrial sectors. The operation at high-temperatures, in excess of 850 C (1123 K), leads to higher-efficiency energy conversion cycles. At MAIDANA RESEARCH, we designing and developing the next generation of annular linear induction pumps
Software
We are developing software and computational tools for the design, analysis and fabrication of liquid metal and molten salts thermo-magnetic systems with emphasis in annular linear induction pumps for nuclear, space and industrial applications as well as for the study of magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) phenomena that will enable the construction of optimized devices and components as well as new computational libraries and solvers.
Digital Twin
We are proud to be at the forefront of nuclear engineering innovation, developing cutting edge digital twin technology for the most challenging components. Our expertise in designing and simulating annular linear induction pumps for liquid metals and molten salts is second to none, and we are thrilled to have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy with several awards for our work. Our team of engineers are passionate about advancing the field of nuclear engineering, and we look forward to continuing our groundbreaking research in this area.
CASE STUDY: The Transient Reactor Test Facility at the Idaho National Laboratory
TREAT historically tested fuel specimens for various reactor designs, but none more than four fast breeder reactors cooled by liquid sodium. The historic irradiation vehicles used for these tests were the highly successful MK series sodium loops. One of the pivotal technologies that enabled these loops, and in turn TREAT testing of sodium cooled fuel systems, was the Annular Linear Induction Pump (ALIP). These electromagnetic pumps were ideal due to their compact form factor, high reliability due to lack of moving parts, and simple pipe like pressure boundary. Although the general geometric and performance characteristics for MK series ALIP’s are available in historic engineering documents, recovery and improvement of their design is difficult since historic electrical circuit models of their performance required empirically derived correction factors. Furthermore, reverse engineering is hampered by that fact that most of these ALIP’s were disposed as radiologic waste. For these reasons, modern tools which enable the design of ALIP’s are highly valuable to future transient experiments on liquid metal cooled fuel designs. To date, MAIDANA RESEARCH has collaborating diligently with the INL team under the DoE SBIR award entitled “Computational Tools for the Design of Liquid Metal Thermomagnetic Systems”.
Nicolas Woolstenhulme
Design and Engineering Lead for TREAT Experiment Vehicles
