NANO Nuclear and Howden Announce Progress on Designing Helium Circulator for Cooling NANO’s High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

     According to Interesting Engineering, a new nuclear microreactor designed by NANO Nuclear is advancing, as progress has been reported on designing a helium-based cooling system. The component known as a helium circulator is being developed for the KRONOS MMR Energy System, a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor under development by NANO Nuclear Energy. They are working toward a prototype of the cooling system. Howden, a Baker Hughes business with experience in helium turbomachinery and high-temperature gas-cooled reactor systems, is collaborating with NANO Nuclear on the project. Howden has done engineering evaluations, design models, supporting analyses, and formal design reviews with NANO.

     The companies plan to continue working on “materials and performance testing, component qualification, design optimization and manufacturing planning.”

     They are working towards integrating the circulator into the microreactor with the goal of meeting requirements for thermal performance, manufacturability, and long-term operation.

“Progressing the primary helium circulator into detailed design represents another important milestone in the continued development of the KRONOS MMR Energy System. Advancement of the circulator design strengthens the technical foundation of the overall reactor program and demonstrates the disciplined engineering execution essential for successful commercialization. We continue to make steady progress across both engineering and regulatory activities as we advance the KRONOS program toward prototype construction, regulatory licensing and future deployment,” said James Walker, chief executive officer of NANO Nuclear Energy.

     While permitting and eventually building this reactor design is still likely a long way off, the advancement of the subsystems into the design, building, and testing phase is ongoing. In addition to advancements in the helium cooling system design, the company noted that it continues to work with Fortil on the fuel and fuel storage systems. Once prototypes for these subsystems are fully designed, built, and tested, and the reactor is permitted by the NRC, they can proceed to the manufacturing phase.

“NANO Nuclear’s strategy is built upon developing advanced reactor technology through disciplined engineering execution and strategic collaborations with world-class supply chain partners. Our continued work with Howden reflects that commitment, bringing together complementary expertise to advance a critical reactor subsystem. Each engineering milestone strengthens the industrial ecosystem supporting KRONOS while further positioning the program for future first-of-a-kind deployment and long-term commercial success,” said Jay Yu, founder and chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy.

     The company is collaborating with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for component demonstrations.

     The KRONOS MMR design is modular, with each unit capable of producing 10-45 MWth of thermal power, and units can be banked together to get up to GW scale. The high-temperature reactor design produces heat that can be used for industrial heating/process heat and district heating. It also utilizes molten salt for energy storage.

     More information about KRONOS MMR from NANO’s website is given below.

 

References:

 

Nuclear microreactor advances key helium cooling system into detailed design. Neetika Walter. Interesting Engineering. September 3, 2026. Nuclear microreactor advances key helium cooling system into detailed design

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