HYLENR is developing low-energy nuclear reactors to produce industrial heat

HYLENR, a fledgling Hyderabad-based company, is pursuing a novel approach to generating industrial heat through low-energy nuclear reactions. Founded in 2024, the startup builds upon a decade of prior development by its team of scientists and engineers. Led by CEO Siddhartha Durairajan, Chief Innovation Officer Dr Prahlada Ramarao, and Chief Scientific Officer Dr Shree Varaprasad, HYLENR operates from its headquarters in Hyderabad and a research facility in Bengaluru.

The company's technology purportedly harnesses the power of nuclear fusion, specifically low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR), to create heat through the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium. This process allegedly achieves a thermal gain of 1.5 to 1.8 times the input energy, resulting in around 150 watts of heat from a mere 100-watt electrical input. HYLENR claims to have detected helium in residual gas analysis and observed transmutation of elements like uranium, yttrium, and platinum on palladium surfaces.

Despite these assertions, HYLENR's claims have not been independently verified or published in reputable scientific journals. The company's technology remains under scrutiny, as it has yet to secure a peer-reviewed publication or demonstrate its efficacy through replication by other laboratories. The Indian patent covering HYLENR's low-energy nuclear reactor technology does not serve as conclusive evidence of the claimed physics, as patents primarily assess novelty and non-obviousness, not the practical functionality of the invention.

With a pre-Series A funding round of approximately ₹26 crore secured from investors such as Valour Capital, Chhattisgarh Investments, and angel investors, HYLENR is positioned to continue its research and development efforts. The company's ties to T-Hub, a prominent innovation hub in Hyderabad, further underscore its commitment to advancing low-energy nuclear reactions for industrial applications.