VULCANS (the Virtual Centre for the Application of Nuclear Systems) is a multi-year Research & Development project aiming to help develop very small nuclear power systems to support sensors and propulsion in space and in other remote and challenging environments.

Tender description

Report on sector requirements and demand, covering: o Demand from public and private sector organisations for Deployable Nuclear Power Sources and their fuels; o Technical specification for isotope systems and fuel forms, in particular drawing on space mission profiles and launch safety requirements; o Capabilities required to exploit the UK's nuclear waste inventory for isotope systems; o Capabilities required and to develop micro-reactor fuel forms and reactors; o Demand for access to SACRED and PuMA2 (including associated potential revenue or cost recovery mechanisms); • Design/Engineering Specification for SACRED and for PuMA2 o Including project plan detailing path to final commissioning o Based on above identified sector requirements • Exploratory Research & Development into manufacturing approaches for fuel forms (both isotopic and fission) and subsequent performance testing • Report on future Critical Micro-Reactor Testing and Validation: o Technical requirements for a critical reactor facility o Potential location and licensing conditions o Level of investment required and customer pipeline o Links to the UK AMR Demonstration programme o Links to UKAEA's Fusion Programme. Lot 1: VULCANS (the Virtual Centre for the Application of Nuclear Systems) is a multi-year Research & Development project aiming to help develop very small nuclear power systems to support sensors and propulsion in space and in other remote and challenging environments.