- Silex Systems (SLX) successfully completes a “rigorous” eight-month test program of the first module of full-scale laser technology in Wilmington, North Carolina
- The program is a key milestone in the SILEX uranium laser enrichment project conducted in collaboration with exclusive licensee, US-based Global Laser Enrichment (GLE)
- The technology could enable GLE to become a major contributor to nuclear fuel production for the world’s current and future nuclear reactor fleets
- Construction of additional identical laser system modules required for the commercial pilot demonstration project is progressing, with all modules scheduled to be shipped to Wilmington by the end of 2023
- Shares in Silex are up 11.1 per cent to close at $3.99
Silex Systems (SLX) has successfully completed a “rigorous” eight-month test program of the first module of full-scale laser technology in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The program is a key milestone in the SILEX uranium laser enrichment project being conducted in collaboration with exclusive licensee, US-based Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) at the company’s Lucas Heights facility in Sydney.
The full-scale laser system module was designed, built and tested at the company’s Lucas Heights laser technology development centre by the company’s laser engineering team.
CEO and Managing Director Michael Goldsworthy said it is a pivotal milestone which demonstrates the ability of its laser systems to operate reliably at commercial-scale for extended periods.
“We congratulate our very talented and hard-working laser engineering team who have succeeded in the design, development and demonstration of this unique, cutting-edge laser technology which will be utilised by GLE under the SILEX uranium enrichment technology license agreement,” he said.
Depending on the successful completion of the commercialisation project, the technology could enable GLE to become a major contributor to nuclear fuel production for the world’s current and future nuclear reactor fleets.
This would be achieved through the production of uranium in three different forms at a PLEF multi-purpose production plant.
As part of the performance validation process, an independent review of the laser system
module was conducted on-site by a specialist US engineering contractor with a positive assessment resulting, the company said.
The test program focused heavily on the reliability of the laser system module performance which is supported by industrial-level automated control systems developed in-house.
Construction of additional identical laser system modules required for the commercial pilot demonstration project is progressing, with all modules scheduled to be shipped to Wilmington by the end of 2023.
Shares in Silex were up 11.1 per cent to close at $3.99.