Idaho State University, Idaho National Laboratory Researchers Drive Innovation in Advanced Nuclear Reactor Deployment

If the United States wants to quadruple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, there’s going to have to be a lot more advanced nuclear power plants built. Now, researchers from Idaho State University (ISU), the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and industry partners are exploring how to construct those facilities faster and without sacrificing safety.

The research team is developing a new construction technology for nuclear reactor buildings and other safety-related buildings using prefabricated wall systems called Layered Composite walls with Mechanical Connections (LC-MC). Rather than pouring a thick slab of concrete for every wall in a nuclear facility on-site, LC-MC uses multiple layers of specialized concrete, each designed to perform a specific job, poured off-site. Together, these walls provide structural strength, radiation shielding, and impact resistance.

“This layered approach makes it possible to build the walls in a factory, similar to how prefabricated concrete components are already produced for bridges, parking garages, as well as commercial and office buildings,” said Mustafa Mashal, ISU’s principal investigator on the project. “After the walls are constructed in a factory, the walls can be shipped to the construction site to be assembled. This means nuclear construction could tap into existing manufacturing facilities and a workforce with the necessary skills, rather than building everything from scratch.”

The ISU team will be responsible for designing and optimizing concrete mixes, building and testing physical specimens, and verifying shielding performance, among other contributions. The group will also construct a small-scale demonstration model of an LC-MC reactor building at ISU’s Pocatello campus, at the Civil Engineering Large-Scale Laboratory outdoor facility. 

The project brings together researchers from ISU and INL. The INL team includes the Principal Investigator Mahesh Acharya, and Co-Investigators Chandu Bolisetti, Abdo Elmeliegy, Malachi Nelson, Benjamin Spencer, Luke Mikel Voss, and Botros Hanna. Additional support comes from an advisory panel involving Professor Andrew Whittaker at University at Buffalo, and two industry partners: Tindall Corporation and Teton Prestress Concrete of Idaho Falls. 

ISU researchers include Daniel LaBrier, Emanuele Zappala, Joe Shurtleff, and Jared Cantrell. Graduate and undergraduate students Grishma Subedi, Arpan Adhikari, Sameer Budhathoki, Uddhav Dev, and Sujan Timsina will contribute to experiments conducted at ISU’s Structural Laboratories (SLABs) in Pocatello.

“Working on this project has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my academic journey because it allows me to contribute to research that could influence the future of nuclear energy infrastructure in the United States. Through this work, I have seen how innovative engineering ideas can move from research concepts to practical solutions with real-world impact. Being involved in the development and testing of layered concrete systems alongside researchers from ISU, INL, and industry partners has strengthened my passion for structural engineering and advanced construction technologies. It is inspiring to know that the work we are doing today could help create safer, more efficient, and more sustainable nuclear facilities for future generations,” said Sameer Budhathoki, undergraduate research assistant at Idaho State University.

The research is being funded by a nearly $1.6 million INL Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) grant, with ISU receiving roughly $325,000 to lead the experimental research portion, pending DOE yearly approval.