Valar Atomics Reactor Reached Criticality in June 2026
The Orangeville facility demonstrated gas-cooled reactor performance during a student mechanical engineering internship.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Nuclear
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In June 2026, a test reactor operated by Valar Atomics at the San Rafael Energy Lab in Orangeville, Utah, achieved criticality. The milestone coincided with a mechanical engineering internship completed by Southern Utah University student Calvin Hadley.
Why it matters
Valar Atomics aims to deploy reliable, high-output nuclear energy for industrial manufacturing, fuel production, and data infrastructure requirements. The recent test serves as a foundational step toward proving the viability of small-scale reactor designs for high-demand commercial sectors.
The Valar Atomics test reactor utilizes helium gas as a coolant medium, departing from traditional water-cooled light water reactor designs. This mechanism allows the system to operate at higher temperatures to better support industrial process heat applications.
The players
Valar Atomics
A nuclear energy developer focused on small modular reactor technologies for manufacturing and data infrastructure.
Calvin Hadley
A mechanical engineering student at Southern Utah University who specializes in thermodynamics and fluid systems.
The details
The facility employs a gas-cooled reactor architecture, which uses inert helium to transfer thermal energy away from the fuel core. By substituting helium for water, the system avoids the phase-change and high-pressure requirements typical of conventional power reactors. Mechanical engineering interns at the site, including Calvin Hadley, supported these operations by applying foundational coursework in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics to reactor cooling projects.
Timeline
June 2026: The Valar Atomics test reactor achieved criticality.
Summer 2026: Calvin Hadley completed his internship at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab.
Academic Year 2026-2027: Hadley and three students will design and test a hydraulic pump system.
The Tech Race
The reactor testing at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab signifies a broader regional push to integrate experimental nuclear tech into industrial grids. This progress follows the development trajectory of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors intended to outperform conventional nuclear power generation.
The current testing phase remains limited to industrial and research applications at the San Rafael Energy Lab site in Orangeville. Future scalability for regional manufacturing will depend on upcoming design iterations and the successful integration of pump systems currently under development.
The takeaway
The successful achievement of criticality provides a measurable baseline for Valar Atomics to continue refining its gas-cooled technology. Interested observers should monitor the performance results of the student-led hydraulic pump project as it progresses through the 2027 academic cycle.
What happens next
During the 2026-2027 academic year, Hadley and three peers will design, construct, and test a hydraulic pump system as part of their senior capstone project.
Further reading
For more on experimental reactor designs, visit the Nuclear archive.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cedar City News.
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