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Specialist domains

Capabilities and services in support of research and development programmes

SMLab masters the chain from requirements definition to system safety and certifiability, leveraging its hydrogen experience and access to the infrastructure at Environment Park.

Areas of expertise

Nine complementary domains

Hydrogen and cryogenic systems

Liquid hydrogen (LH₂) storage, boil-off management under static and dynamic conditions, cryogenic tank integration, fuel-cell chains, mass-energy balances and cryogenic test benches.

Aeronautics and space

Members' expertise in mission requirements, component qualification and verification in a representative environment for aeronautical and space applications, including LH₂ component testing.

Systems engineering and requirements

Requirements engineering, ConOps, allocation to subsystems, requirements traceability matrices (RTM), interface management and the definition of KPIs and acceptance criteria.

Safety engineering and compliance

Process risk analysis (HAZID/HAZOP), mitigation measures, regulatory framework (ATEX, EASA, UAS regulation), gap analysis and certification/airworthiness roadmap.

UAV systems and propulsion

Mission profiles (payload, altitude, endurance), electric fuel-cell propulsion architectures, platform integration and dual-use operational scenarios.

Power electronics and energy management

Design of conversion and energy-management chains, storage (supercap/LIC), impedance matching and energy harvesting for low-power systems.

Cybersecurity and resilience

Compliance with NIS2, ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST frameworks, critical-infrastructure security and assessments for dual-use and defence contexts.

Programmes and project management

Design and reporting on regional, national and European instruments (Horizon, EDF, ERDF, regional calls), consortium and ATS management.

Nuclear and radiation protection

Lead-free and 3D-printable shielding materials, gamma attenuation testing, Monte Carlo simulation with Serpent, design of collimators and conformal shielding, HAZID/HAZOP and regulatory mapping (Legislative Decree 101/2020, IAEA, Euratom). See the dedicated section ↓

New area · Nuclear & Radiation Protection

From measurement to model to component

Shielding materials, Monte Carlo nuclear simulation and engineering design for ionizing-radiation applications: medical, industrial, new nuclear, fusion and space. Founded around additive manufacturing and nanostructured materials, SMLab brings its requirements → architecture → safety → certifiability method, together with the hands-on shielding experience of its own expert group, to the field of ionizing radiation.

01

Shielding materials

Cement and polymer composites with high-Z oxide nanoparticles: lightweight, lead-free shielding, including 3D-printable grades.

02

Experimental testing

Gamma spectrometry with ¹³⁷Cs and ⁶⁰Co sources, collimation, LAC, MAC, HVL and TVL calculation, comparison with NIST XCOM.

03

Serpent simulation

Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport: shielding, dose, activation, neutronics for SMRs and fusion, coupling with CFD and FEM.

04

Design & safety

Collimators, conformal shielding and equipment in AM/CNC; HAZID/HAZOP, regulatory mapping, KPIs and V&V plans.

Nuclear services

ServiceWhat we doWhat we deliver
Shielding materials studyScreening and formulation, theoretical attenuation estimate, technical and economic comparison.Report with comparison matrix
Characterization campaignTest plan, samples and collimators, measurements at a partner laboratory, data analysis.Test report and performance data sheets
Nuclear simulation with Serpent3D Monte Carlo models of shielding and components: attenuation, flux, dose, activation.Model and calculation report
Component designCollimators, conformal shielding, containers and equipment; optimization for AM and CNC.3D model, drawings, prototype
Safety & complianceHAZID/HAZOP, regulatory mapping (Italian Legislative Decree 101/2020, IAEA, Euratom), requirements and V&V plans.Risk register, gap analysis
R&D projects and funding callsState of the art, TRL roadmap, work packages and KPIs for Euratom, Horizon, national and regional calls.Technical sections, development plan

Who we work with

How we work

1

Requirements

Spectrum, space and weight constraints, applicable standards
2

Measure & model

Laboratory tests and Serpent simulation
3

Design

Material, geometry, AM/CNC manufacturing
4

Verification

Acceptance testing, V&V and documentation

Development lines

L1

Nanostructured AM shielding

Lead-free 3D-printable composites for radiology, NDT and portable devices.

L2

Electronics for space and UAVs

Lightweight, optimized shielding for electronics, sensors and payloads.

L3

Cryogenics for fusion

Transferring liquid-hydrogen know-how to fusion cryogenic systems.

L4

Safety for new nuclear

HAZID/HAZOP and qualification roadmaps for SMRs and nuclear–hydrogen systems.

L5

Ventilation of controlled areas

CFD analysis, extraction and filtration systems for laboratories handling sources.

L6

Experimentally validated Serpent

Monte Carlo models benchmarked against attenuation measurements, used as a design tool.

Ongoing area of analysis
In progress

Quantum technologies

SMLab is analysing quantum sensing and superconducting quantum technologies as an emerging capability — a natural extension of its cryogenic expertise, in synergy with IIT CSFT @ Politecnico di Torino and the PiQuET platform for quantum technologies.

Quantum Key Distribution: single-photon transmitter, quantum channel and receiver
Research experience

E.W.Q — Quantum cryptography & key distribution

SMLab has explored quantum cryptography and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD): the on-demand generation of single photons and their manipulation in integrated photonic circuits, exploiting the intrinsically random nature of quantum objects to protect communication channels against eavesdropping.

  • On-demand single-photon sources (SPS), detectors and optical elements for a secure communication platform.
  • Integrated photonic devices for efficient, reliable sources of indistinguishable single photons.
  • QKD architecture and protocol study (BB84), with a laboratory demonstrator and simulation.
  • Hardware/software interfacing of the SPS device toward an optical-fibre quantum channel.
Services offered

Eight services delivered modularly

Composable technical-scientific support, from the system baseline to the reporting of funded activities.

1

Requirements engineering and ConOps

Elicitation and formalization of requirements, ConOps development and definition of the system baseline.

2

System architecture and allocation

Derivation of quantitative requirements, allocation to subsystems (LH₂ tank, fuel cell, propulsion chain) and interface management.

3

Safety analysis

HAZID/HAZOP studies, risk analysis (venting, leak, in-flight boil-off) and definition of mitigation measures.

4

Regulatory compliance and certification

Regulatory mapping (ATEX, EASA, UAS), certifiability gap analysis and a certification/airworthiness roadmap at increasing TRL.

5

H₂ and cryogenics technical analysis

Support to mass-energy balances, boil-off characterization and assessment of hydrogen-chain performance.

6

KPIs, traceability and V&V

KPIs, acceptance criteria, traceability matrix and verification & validation plans.

7

Business case and dual-use positioning

Contribution to the business case as a market enabler and support to the dual-use and defence dimension.

8

Project management and reporting

Support to the design, management and reporting of funded activities.

Assets and infrastructure

Access to infrastructure and skills dedicated to hydrogen

SMLab operates at Environment Park (Envipark) in Turin, a context offering access to infrastructure and skills dedicated to hydrogen.

  • Cryogenic LH₂ bench (space) — commissioning and management of the first cryogenic test bench for space components in liquid hydrogen.
  • Access to and management of the liquid-hydrogen (LH₂) laboratory, developed with reference partners.
  • Instrumentation and environments for characterizing hydrogen and cryogenic systems (with boil-off data from the HYDROLAB project).
  • Skills and equipment for power electronics, prototyping and parametric system modelling.
  • A network of collaborations with IIT CSFT @ Politecnico di Torino and with industrial and institutional partners.
Cryogenic test bench with an LH₂ cryostat and instrumentation panel

Looking for a cross-cutting technical-scientific partner?

From requirements definition to certifiability: let's talk about how SMLab can support your programme.

Email us at info@smlab.org See the projects