# Kairos Power commissions automated fuel pebble inspection and tracking in Albuquerque

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/kairos-power-commissions-automated-fuel-pebble-inspection-and-tracking-11161b9f
Date: 7 Oct 2026
About: [Kairos Power](https://technooptimist.io/companies/kairos-power.md)
Original source: https://www.kairospower.com/updates/kairos-power-automates-fuel-pebble-inspection-and-tracking-system-sc3nj

Kairos Power has commissioned an automated system at its Manufacturing Development Campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that inspects and marks graphite fuel pebbles for its fluoride salt-cooled reactor. Each pebble is measured, laser-scanned and engraved with a unique code that links to its inspection record, and the system is already processing pebbles for upcoming hardware tests.

## Key facts

- Each pebble's diameter, geometry and density are measured in real time, and its surface is scanned by lasers to the micron level.
- An infrared laser engraves three redundant data matrix codes about half a millimetre deep, without breaking the shell.
- The near-term target is 70,000 inspected pebbles for test platforms, including the second Engineering Test Unit.
- The announcement gives no throughput figures; the system is also meant to support the Hermes 2 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

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