Reaction Protection System Prototype Completed by X-energy

X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC, a leading developer of small modular nuclear reactor and fuel technology for clean energy generation, in partnership with Paragon Energy Solutions (“Paragon”), a leading specialist in the design and manufacturing of critical safety systems, today announced the completion of a Reactor Protection System (“RPS”) prototype, a key safety feature of X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactors. The four-division RPS prototype utilizes Paragon’s highly integrated protection system (“HIPS”) and marks the first time that Paragon has deployed HIPS to a Generation IV high-temperature gas reactor (“HTGR”), an evolution of their robust, reliable, and secure technology that is intended to further advance nuclear safety.

X-Energy XE100 small modular nuclear reactor design.
Photo Credit: X-Energy

X-energy worked with Paragon for two years to develop, deliver, install and test the RPS prototype in the company’s control room simulator at its Rockville, Maryland headquarters. Paragon has been tapped to build and deliver the four-division RPS to all Xe-100 plants around the world when they are deployed.

“The completion of these critical safety mechanisms is yet another demonstration of the innovative nuclear technology we are bringing to the market,” said X-energy CEO J. Clay Sell. “Safety is the most important objective of our company, our people and our products. With Paragon, we have developed a system that is more effective and secure, and less costly and complex than legacy systems used by older nuclear power plants. Our system is designed to ensure the safe and secure operation of our reactors at all times.”

The RPS is a set of independent and redundant instrumentation and control components that enable the nuclear reactor to automatically and safely shut down, providing an added layer of protection for the plant and its environment. RPS uses Paragon’s HIPS platform based on Field Programmable Gate Array (FGPA) technology. FPGA-based systems tend to be more resilient and robust than systems found in older nuclear power plants, and significantly reduce the potential for cyber-attacks, thereby lowering the risk of disruption. The platform is more secure and streamlined because a HIPS FPGA-based system is a hardware-only product with no run-time software. The system’s structure and design insulate it from coding errors and reduce cybersecurity risks, thus addressing regulatory concerns about digital safety systems.

“Paragon is committed to supporting a zero-carbon energy future, and is working to develop innovative nuclear solutions that are safer, more reliable, and more cost-efficient,” said Doug VanTassell, Paragon’s President and CEO. “We are excited to be a key partner in the deployment of innovative small modular nuclear reactor technology as we enter this long-term strategic agreement with X-energy.”

The prototype delivery is a milestone in X-energy’s progress toward completing the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (“ARDP”). The DOE selected X-energy to receive up to $1.2 billion of federal cost-shared funding to develop, license, build, and demonstrate an operational Xe-100 based nuclear power plant by the end of the decade. X-energy expects to demonstrate its Xe-100 HTGRs under the program by 2028.

The pioneering Xe-100 design couples scalability, innovative modularity, enhanced safety and higher temperature capabilities with decades of HTGR research and operating experience. The reactor is fueled by X-energy’s proprietary TRISO-X fuel, which has been called “the most robust nuclear fuel on earth” by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Xe-100 is engineered to operate as a single 80-megawatt (“MWe”) unit and is optimized as a four-unit plant delivering 320 MWe.