US nuclear energy company Kairos Power has successfully installed a 14-foot-high test vessel for its small modular reactor (SMR) at its Tennessee campus. The vessel, fabricated in collaboration with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE), forms the heart of Kairos’s non-nuclear mockup for its third Engineering Test Unit (ETU 3.0).
Supported by the US Department of Energy, the ETU program aims to demonstrate safe, cost-effective manufacturing and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors to support the clean energy transition. By leveraging innovative engineering and advanced manufacturing techniques, Kairos is pioneering ways to lower costs and accelerate timelines for a future commercial fleet of SMRs.
The AMRC integrated machining, welding, and inspection processes in one facility, allowing the vessel to be built as a complete unit rather than assembled from parts. CVE’s cutting-edge electron beam welding technology enabled welds to be completed in minutes rather than days—improving quality and speed significantly.
Ben Morgan, interim CEO of AMRC, highlighted the importance of the collaboration, saying it “will accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies for clean, affordable power.” CVE’s managing director Bob Nicolson added that their welding technology is a “significant step forward in SMR commercialisation.”
Beyond manufacturing, ETU 3.0 will also serve as a proving ground for civil construction, operator training, and remote maintenance techniques for Kairos’s Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor. According to Kairos’s CTO Edward Blandford, this milestone “paves the way to successfully deploy Kairos Power’s commercial fleet,” promising safer, faster, and more cost-effective nuclear energy solutions.
