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CARNISO

(CARbon Nanostructure ISOtropic) is a nanoscale fuel architecture concept for advanced nuclear reactors.

What is it?

CARNISO is a carbon nanostructure-based concept for fuel architecture. The core idea is to use nanoscale structure to change how fuel behaves thermally and mechanically under reactor-relevant conditions.

Performance characteristics remain subject to validation.

Why scale matters?

Shrinking the structural scale of fuel architecture can change surface-area-to-volume behavior and thermal response.

Archangel Atomics is testing whether these effects translate into measurable benefits for advanced reactor fuel performance.

TRISO  vs.  CARNISO

TRISO

  • Uses a coated particle architecture
  • Relies on multiple protective coating layers intended to retain fission products.

CARNISO

  • A nanoscale fuel architecture concept
  • Designed to alter thermal characteristics and containment behavior
  • Subject to staged validation
Transmission electron microscope image of a carbon nanostructure, 50 nm scale bar

Technical comparison

The following comparisons reflect internal targets and require precise definition of reference geometry and test conditions.

Size

Scale factor

CARNISO is approximately 1,000 times smaller than TRISO-based structures in its configuration.

Temperature

Temperature behavior

CARNISO has improved stability at higher temperatures compared to traditional approaches.