Support the safety demonstration of European Small Modular Lead-cooled Fast Reactors (SMR-LFRs) through three complementary safety pillars:

• Prevention of degradation mechanisms
• Innovative cleaning technologies
• Advanced inspection and qualification
• Protection against abnormal operating conditions
• Passive Dip Cooler systems
• Reactor Vessel Auxiliary Cooling Systems (RVACS)
• Retention of radionuclides
• Characterization of key radionuclides
• Evaporation and transport studies

MARGOT brings together all major European LFR developers, including the ALFRED, LFR-AS, SEALER and LEANDREA programmes, within a single Innovation Action. By tackling common safety challenges and sharing experimental evidence, the project advances a common approach to the safety demonstration of SMR-LFRs.

The resulting technologies, methodologies and datasets will support current pre-licensing activities and future licensing processes, helping to establish a common European safety framework advanced LFRs.

Through the MARGOT Users Group (MUG), the project fosters interaction between reactor developers, research organisations, regulators and end users, maximising the long-term impact and sustainability of its outcomes.

Delivering the technologies, evidence and expertise needed for European SMR-LFR deployment along 4 domains.

Proactive Safety

Preventing degradation and ensuring component integrity.

• Advanced inspection technologies (HUSTLE)
• Non-wet lead removal (supercritical CO₂)
• Thermal decontamination, dry (vacuum / hot argon)

Resilient Systems

Demonstrating passive solutions for decay heat removal.

• Prototypical dip cooler qualification (PRECURSOR)
• Spray cooling technologies for wall cooling (HERMES)
• Air-based RVACS activation and performance (SEALER-E)

Robust confinement

Understanding and limiting radionuclide releases from LFRs

• Preparing samples with representative radionuclide mixtures (PSI Transpiration)
• Evaporation and transport in dry and wet atmospheres (PSI Transpiration, POLARIS)

Impact

• Dissemination & exploitation: publications and uptake
• Communication: stakeholder engagement and outreach
• Education & training: HLM School and mobility grants
• Data management: open science, repository (Zenodo)

SCK CEN / ANSALDO NUCLEARE / VKI / NEWCLEO / BLYKALLA / CHALMERS TH / CRS4 / ENEA / NRG PALLAS / PSI / RATEN / UNI PISA / UNIROMA1 / SIEMENS SAS / SIEMENS SRL / JRC

September 2027 – October 2031 (50 months)

4.017.003€, of which €2.999.877 (74.68%) from EU

Project coordinator:

Dr. Julio Pacio (julio.pacio@sckcen.be)

2027: Grant agreement & Kick-off meeting

2028: MARGOT Users Group (MUG) Launch

2029: Heavy Liquid Metal School (June)

2030: Special session at an international conference

2031: Stakeholder workshop