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TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Probe for Three-Omega Thermal Conductivity Measurement of Material Samples An in-core, encapsulated sensor to measure thermal conductivity that allows fast and easy te... TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Probe for Three-Omega Thermal Conductivity Measurement of Material Samples An in-core, encapsulated sensor to measure thermal conductivity that allows fast and easy testing and requires only a small amount of sample material. Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize the three-omega thermal conductivity probe. Overview: Thermal conductivity of nuclear fuels and materials is a critically important property which is very difficult to measure in-situ. Typically, measurements are made during post-irradiation examination. These measurements are not made in prototypical conditions and the effects on the property due to thermal and irradiation conditions may be difficult to quantify. The three-omega thermal conductivity technique is a well-established method for making accurate thermal conductivity measurements on thin-film samples but is not easy to apply outside the lab environment. This technology addresses these challenges by applying techniques for the construction of an unrelated in-core sensor toward design of an integrated thermal conductivity testing probe. Description: This technology is an in-core, encapsulated sensor meant to measure the thermal conductivity of small samples of material under irradiation. This technology makes it possible to make thermal conductivity measurements on the deposited material using the three-omega technique. The sensor is, effectively, a specially designed test capsule allowing the measurement of the bulk material thermal conductivity using micrograms of sample material. Benefits: Allows relatively fast and easy testing Requires only a small amount of sample material Applications: Irradiation testing Development Status: TRL 3. Bench scale prototype has been built with some limited testing. IP Status: US Patent No. 10,809,213, “Sensors for Measuring Thermal Conductivity and Related Methods,” BEA Docket No. BA-879. Additional Information INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Kala Majeti at td@inl.gov.