Apollo Atomics is developing a line of integral pressurized water reactors that builds on 70 years worth of operational experience with materials, chemistry, fuels, supply chains and training. The company is implementing a key improvement that they believe will significantly reduce cost, space and weight. They are planning to replace conventional shell and tube steam generators with printed circuit heat steam generators with far greater heat transfer surface area per unit volume.



According to the company’s design calculations and early physical modeling, their technology can shrink the size of a steam generator by a factor of 20 while also giving them the ability to produce superheated steam. Printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs) are not unknown or untested; they have made inroads into markets like floating LNG production platforms, but adoption has so far been limited.



Assil Halimi, the CEO and Co-Founder of <a href="https://www.apolloatomics.com/#technology">Apollo Atomics</a>, visited the Atomic Show to describe his company and its innovative spin on the well established light water reactor. We talked about the advantages of far smaller steam generators that can transfer the same amount of heat and the transformation of the enormous components from virtually hand made works of art to something that can be mass manufactured in a factory.



We talked about several technologies, including the mPower and NuScale Power Module, that appear to be very similar but have not achieved market traction. Assil described how Apollo’s Compact Steam Generator improves the situation.



Assil also provided an overview of Apollo’s strategy of integrating powerful AI tools from the very beginning of design and manufacturing.



The company has a long way to go and a great deal of catching up to do, but they are moving fast and taking advantage of technologies that were not available to the current leaders in the light water reactor industry.



Warning: This show is a lot more technical than most Atomic Shows. The topic warrants the details.



Disclosure: Nucleation Capital is an investor in Apollo Atomics.

Apollo Atomics is developing a line of integral pressurized water reactors that builds on 70 years worth of operational experience with materials, chemistry, fuels, supply chains and training. The company is implementing a key improvement that they believe will significantly reduce cost, space and weight. They are planning to replace conventional shell and tube steam generators with printed circuit heat steam generators with far greater heat transfer surface area per unit volume. According to the company’s design calculations and early physical modeling, their technology can shrink the size of a steam generator by a factor of 20 while also giving them the ability to produce superheated steam. Printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs) are not unknown or untested; they have made inroads into markets like floating LNG production platforms, but adoption has so far been limited. Assil Halimi, the CEO and Co-Founder of Apollo Atomics, visited the Atomic Show to describe his company and its innovative spin on the well established light water reactor. We talked about the advantages of far smaller steam generators that can transfer the same amount of heat and the transformation of the enormous components from virtually hand made works of art to something that can be mass manufactured in a factory. We talked about several technologies, including the mPower and NuScale Power Module, that appear to be very similar but have not achieved market traction. Assil described how Apollo’s Compact Steam Generator improves the situation. Assil also provided an overview of Apollo’s strategy of integrating powerful AI tools from the very beginning of design and manufacturing. The company has a long way to go and a great deal of catching up to do, but they are moving fast and taking advantage of technologies that were not available to the current leaders in the light water reactor industry. Warning: This show is a lot more technical than most Atomic Shows. The topic warrants the details. Disclosure: Nucleation Capital is an investor in Apollo Atomics.

Apollo Atomics is developing a line of integral pressurized water reactors that builds on 70 years worth of operational experience with materials, chemistry, fuels, supply chains and training. The company is implementing a key improvement that they believe will significantly reduce cost, space and weight. They are planning to replace conventional shell and tube steam generators with printed circuit heat steam generators with far greater heat transfer surface area per unit volume.



According to the company’s design calculations and early physical modeling, their technology can shrink the size of a steam generator by a factor of 20 while also giving them the ability to produce superheated steam. Printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs) are not unknown or untested; they have made inroads into markets like floating LNG production platforms, but adoption has so far been limited.



Assil Halimi, the CEO and Co-Founder of <a href="https://www.apolloatomics.com/#technology" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apollo Atomics</a>, visited the Atomic Show to describe his company and its innovative spin on the well established light water reactor. We talked about the advantages of far smaller steam generators that can transfer the same amount of heat and the transformation of the enormous components from virtually hand made works of art to something that can be mass manufactured in a factory.



We talked about several technologies, including the mPower and NuScale Power Module, that appear to be very similar but have not achieved market traction. Assil described how Apollo’s Compact Steam Generator improves the situation.



Assil also provided an overview of Apollo’s strategy of integrating powerful AI tools from the very beginning of design and manufacturing.



The company has a long way to go and a great deal of catching up to do, but they are moving fast and taking advantage of technologies that were not available to the current leaders in the light water reactor industry.



Warning: This show is a lot more technical than most Atomic Shows. The topic warrants the details.



Disclosure: Nucleation Capital is an investor in Apollo Atomics.

Atomic Show #353 – Assil Halimi, CEO and Co-Founder, Apollo Atomics

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is in one of its busiest periods since the 1950s-late 1960s when it hosted the construction of 52 test, special purpose and demonstration nuclear reactors. Back when it was called the National Reactor Testing Station (1948-1974) it played a major role in today’s operating fleet of nuclear reactors, both commercial and naval. 



On June 4, 2026, for the first time in 50 years, a new reactor was constructed and tested at INL (Antares Mark 0). Then a second one started up on June 30 (Deployable Unity), and a third one on July 4 (Aalo-X). Within days to weeks, a fourth reactor will be started and not only operated at zero power criticality, but also brought to full power and operated through a series of stress tests culminating in a continuous full power run lasting at least 150 hours (Radiant Kaleidos).



John Wagner, INL’s current Director, is one of the overseers of the action. On this episode of the Atomic Show, John shares pride, pleasure and passion for his organization and the contribution that it’s making towards a new nuclear era. We talked about the ways that INL’s staff assisted the private companies that built the machines that started up and how the staff provided assistance to reactor projects located in Utah (Valar) and Texas (Oklo) that have started up during the busy summer of 2026.



John also made it abundantly clear that the private companies bore the costs of designing, building and operating their equipment. The laboratory staff, as well as the Department of Energy staff, played supportive roles as needed. They helped to remove artificial barriers in the way of timely mission accomplishment.



INL is not just a nuclear energy laboratory. It also hosts major programs in micro-grids, grid integration, conventional renewable energy, geothermal energy and cyber security. John explains their importance to the modern electrical grid and the roles that they will play in the near future.



We talked about John’s current research interests, including improvements in the way that we understand and regulate the health effects of low level radiation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s dawning recognition that treating a double ended guillotine break in large light water reactor piping as a design basis accident is conservative in the extreme.



You will enjoy this show. John is an engaging speaker in an influential position. He is one of the true leaders in the creation of a new nuclear era.

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is in one of its busiest periods since the 1950s-late 1960s when it hosted the construction of 52 test, special purpose and demonstration nuclear reactors. Back when it was called the National Reactor Testing Station (1948-1974) it played a major role in today’s operating fleet of nuclear reactors, both commercial and naval. On June 4, 2026, for the first time in 50 years, a new reactor was constructed and tested at INL (Antares Mark 0). Then a second one started up on June 30 (Deployable Unity), and a third one on July 4 (Aalo-X). Within days to weeks, a fourth reactor will be started and not only operated at zero power criticality, but also brought to full power and operated through a series of stress tests culminating in a continuous full power run lasting at least 150 hours (Radiant Kaleidos). John Wagner, INL’s current Director, is one of the overseers of the action. On this episode of the Atomic Show, John shares pride, pleasure and passion for his organization and the contribution that it’s making towards a new nuclear era. We talked about the ways that INL’s staff assisted the private companies that built the machines that started up and how the staff provided assistance to reactor projects located in Utah (Valar) and Texas (Oklo) that have started up during the busy summer of 2026. John also made it abundantly clear that the private companies bore the costs of designing, building and operating their equipment. The laboratory staff, as well as the Department of Energy staff, played supportive roles as needed. They helped to remove artificial barriers in the way of timely mission accomplishment. INL is not just a nuclear energy laboratory. It also hosts major programs in micro-grids, grid integration, conventional renewable energy, geothermal energy and cyber security. John explains their importance to the modern electrical grid and the roles that they will play in the near future. We talked about John’s current research interests, including improvements in the way that we understand and regulate the health effects of low level radiation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s dawning recognition that treating a double ended guillotine break in large light water reactor piping as a design basis accident is conservative in the extreme. You will enjoy this show. John is an engaging speaker in an influential position. He is one of the true leaders in the creation of a new nuclear era.

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is in one of its busiest periods since the 1950s-late 1960s when it hosted the construction of 52 test, special purpose and demonstration nuclear reactors. Back when it was called the National Reactor Testing Station (1948-1974) it played a major role in today’s operating fleet of nuclear reactors, both commercial and naval. 



On June 4, 2026, for the first time in 50 years, a new reactor was constructed and tested at INL (Antares Mark 0). Then a second one started up on June 30 (Deployable Unity), and a third one on July 4 (Aalo-X). Within days to weeks, a fourth reactor will be started and not only operated at zero power criticality, but also brought to full power and operated through a series of stress tests culminating in a continuous full power run lasting at least 150 hours (Radiant Kaleidos).



John Wagner, INL’s current Director, is one of the overseers of the action. On this episode of the Atomic Show, John shares pride, pleasure and passion for his organization and the contribution that it’s making towards a new nuclear era. We talked about the ways that INL’s staff assisted the private companies that built the machines that started up and how the staff provided assistance to reactor projects located in Utah (Valar) and Texas (Oklo) that have started up during the busy summer of 2026.



John also made it abundantly clear that the private companies bore the costs of designing, building and operating their equipment. The laboratory staff, as well as the Department of Energy staff, played supportive roles as needed. They helped to remove artificial barriers in the way of timely mission accomplishment.



INL is not just a nuclear energy laboratory. It also hosts major programs in micro-grids, grid integration, conventional renewable energy, geothermal energy and cyber security. John explains their importance to the modern electrical grid and the roles that they will play in the near future.



We talked about John’s current research interests, including improvements in the way that we understand and regulate the health effects of low level radiation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s dawning recognition that treating a double ended guillotine break in large light water reactor piping as a design basis accident is conservative in the extreme.



You will enjoy this show. John is an engaging speaker in an influential position. He is one of the true leaders in the creation of a new nuclear era.

Atomic Show #352 – John Wagner, Director, Idaho National Laboratory

In March 2015, Foreign Policy magazine published an article by Sarah Laskow titled The Mushroom Cloud and The X-Ray Machine. The article described the controversy over the radiation protection model known as the linear, no-threshold dose response. Ms. Laskow conducted some admirable literature research and talked with a number of well-known people. The ones that […]

Atomic Show #239 – Sarah Laskow and the LNT model

The Atomic Show Podcast includes interviews, roundtable discussions and atomic geeks all centered around the idea that nuclear energy is an amazing boon for human society.

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