Kaleidos: Making Nuclear Power Portable at Radiant Nuclear

Dr. Benjamin R. Betzler

Head of Nuclear Engineering at Radiant

Increased industry development of nuclear microreactors over the last several years is largely due to their portability and operational flexibility, making them a feasible carbon-free technology for a variety of electrical grid sizes and remote locations. Reliability and operational flexibility, with years of operation without refueling, are some of the unique microreactor characteristics. These are designed characteristics of Radiant Nuclear's Kaleidos, a 3.5 MWt portable nuclear microreactor intended to replace diesel generators and to provide power in remote or emergency deployment scenarios. Radiant is pursuing a fueled demonstration of this microreactor at the National Reactor Innovation Center Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR)-II Test Bed [3] at Idaho National Laboratory in 2026.

BIO

Dr. Benjamin R. Betzler heads a team of nuclear engineers to design and analyze a portable nuclear microreactor. He joined Radiant after over 8 years as a research staff member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which followed the completion of his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences at the University of Michigan. His expertise is in advanced reactor design and Monte Carlo radiation transport methods.