WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Energy
Secretary Steven Chu today announced the
selection of 71 university research
project awards as part of the Department
of Energy’s investments in cutting-edge
nuclear energy research and development
(R&D). Under the Nuclear Energy
University Program (NEUP), these 71
projects will receive approximately $44
million over three years to advance new
nuclear technologies in support of the
nation’s energy goals. By helping to
develop the next generation of advanced
nuclear technologies, the Nuclear Energy
University Program will play a key role
in addressing the global climate crisis
and moving the nation toward greater use
of nuclear energy.
“As a zero-carbon energy source,
nuclear power must be part of our energy
mix as we work towards energy
independence and meeting the challenge
of global warming,” said Secretary Chu.
“The next generation of nuclear power
plants – with the highest standards of
safety, efficiency and environmental
protection – will require the latest
advancements in nuclear science and
technology. These research and
development university awards will
ensure that the United States continues
to lead the world in the nuclear field
for years to come.”
Selected R&D projects include 31 U.S.
universities that will act as lead
research institutions for projects in
more than 20 states. Other universities,
industries, and national laboratories
will serve as collaborators and research
partners. Under the Nuclear Energy
University Program, DOE will support
projects in the following nuclear energy
research fields: the Advanced Fuel Cycle
Initiative (AFCI), the Next Generation
Nuclear Plant (NGNP) also known as
Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems,
Investigator-Initiated Research (IIR),
and Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS).
In keeping with the Obama
Administration’s commitment to training
the next generation of American
scientists, Secretary Chu also announced
that DOE is accepting applications for
individual nuclear science and
engineering scholarships and fellowships
under the Nuclear Energy University
Program. As part of the Department’s
efforts to recruit and train the next
generation of nuclear scientists and
engineers, DOE is offering approximately
$2.9 million in university fellowships
and scholarships to support students
entering the nuclear science and
engineering fields. Further details on
the Request for Applications are
available at: www.caesenergy.org.
Contracts for the R&D projects are
expected to be awarded by September 30,
2009 by the Battelle Energy Alliance,
LLC (BEA), a Management and Operating
contractor for DOE at the Idaho National
Laboratory (INL).
Irradiation Creep in Graphite |
Boise State University |
Modeling the Stress Strain
Relationships and Predicting
Failure Probabilities For
Graphite Core Components |
Cleveland State University |
TRISO-Coated Fuel Durability
Under Extreme Conditions |
Colorado School of Mines |
An
Innovative and Advanced Coupled
Neutron Transport and Thermal
Hydraulic Method (Tool) for the
Design, Analysis and
Optimization of VHTR/NGNP
Prismatic Reactors |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
Removal of 14C from Irradiated
Graphite for Graphite Recycle
and Waste Volume Reduction |
Idaho State University |
Millimeter-Wave Thermal Analysis
Development and Application to
Gen IV Reactor Materials |
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology |
Accurate Development of Thermal
Neutron Scattering Cross Section
Libraries |
North Carolina State University |
Understanding Creep Mechanisms
in Graphite with Experiments,
Multiscale Simulations, and
Modeling |
North Carolina State University |
Multiaxial creep-fatigue and
creep-ratcheting failures of
Grade 91 and Haynes 230 alloys
toward addressing the design
issues of Gen IV nuclear power
plants |
North Carolina State University |
Verification & Validation of
High-Order
Short-Characteristics-Based
Deterministic Transport
Methodology on Unstructured
Grids |
North Carolina State University |
Microscale Heat Conduction
Models and Doppler Feedback |
North Carolina State University |
Optimizing Neutron Thermal
Scattering Effects in Very High
Temperature Reactors |
North Carolina State University |
Investigation of Countercurrent
Helium-air Flows in Air-ingress
Accidents for VHTRs |
Ohio State University |
Testing of Performance of
Optical Fibers Under Irradiation
in Intense Radiation Fields,
When Subjected to Very High
Temperatures |
Ohio State University |
Non Destructive Thermal Analysis
and In Situ Investigation of
Creep Mechanism of Graphite and
Ceramic Composites using
Phase-sensitive THz Imaging &
Nonlinear Resonant Ultrasonic
Spectroscopy |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
A
Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor
Network for Online 3-D
Temperature and Neutron Fluence
Mapping in a VHTR Environment |
Texas A&M University |
Investigation on the Core Bypass
Flow in a Very High Temperature
Reactor |
Texas A&M University |
CFD Model Development and
Validation for High Temperature
Gas Cooled Reactor Cavity
Cooling System (RCCS)
Applications |
Texas A&M University |
Study of Air ingress across the
duct during the accident
conditions |
Texas A&M University |
Verification of the CENTRM
Module for Adaptation of the
SCALE Code to NGNP Prismatic and
PBR Core Designs |
University of Arizona |
Integral and Separate Effects
Tests for Thermal Hydraulics
Code Validation for Liquid-Salt
Cooled Nuclear Reactors |
University of California,
Berkeley |
Mechanisms Governing the Creep
Behavior of High Temperature
Alloys for Generation IV Nuclear
Energy Systems |
University of Cincinnati |
ALD Produced B2O3, Al2O3 and
TiO2 Coatings on Gd2O3 Burnable
Poison Nanoparticles |
University of Colorado, Boulder |
Experimental Study and
Computational Simulations of Key
Pebble Bed Thermomechanics
Issues for Design and Safety |
University of Idaho |
Prediction and Monitoring
Systems of Creep-Fracture
Behavior of 9Cr-1Mo Steels for
Reactor Pressure Vessels |
University of Idaho |
Understanding Fundamental
Material Degradation Processes
in High Temperature Aggressive
Chemomechanical Environments |
University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign |
Multi-Scale Multi-physics
Methods Development for the
Calculation of Hot-Spots in the
NGNP |
University of Michigan |
Corrosion and Creep of Candidate
Alloys in High Temperature
Helium and Steam Environments
for the NGNP |
University of Michigan |
Creation of a Full-Core HTR
Benchmark with the Fort St.
Vrain Initial Core and
Validation of the DHF Method
with Helios for NGNP
Configurations |
University of Michigan |
Fission Product Sorptivity in
Graphite |
University of Missouri, Columbia |
Identifying and Understanding
Environment-Induced Crack
Propagation Behavior in Ni-Based
Superalloy INCONEL 617 |
University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Graphite Oxidation Simulation in
HTR Accident Conditions |
University of New Mexico |
Tritium Sequestration in Gen IV
NGNP Gas Stream via Proton
Conducting Ceramic Pumps |
University of South Carolina |
Materials, Turbomachinery and
Heat Exchangers for
Supercritical CO2 Systems |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Experimental Studies of NGNP
Reactor Cavity Cooling System
with Water |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Assessment of Embrittlement of
VHTR Structural Alloys in Impure
Helium Environments |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Modeling Fission Product
Sorption in Graphite Structures |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Liquid Salt Heat Exchanger
Technology for VHTR Based
Applications |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Effect of Post-Weld Heat
Treatment on Creep Rupture
Properties of Grade 91 Steel
Heavy Section Welds
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Utah State University
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Neutron Damage and MAX Phase
Ternary Compounds |
Drexel University |
Maximum Fuel Utilization in Fast
Reactors without Chemical
Reprocessing |
University of California,
Berkeley |
Developing a High Thermal
Conductivity Fuel with Silicon
Carbide Additives |
University of Florida |
Fabrication of Tungsten-Rhenium
Cladding Materials via Spark
Plasma Sintering for Ultra High
Temperature Reactor Applications |
University of Idaho |
Ionic Liquid and Supercritical
Fluid Hyphenated Techniques for
Dissolution and Separation of
Lanthanides, Actinides, and
Fission Products |
University of Idaho |
Utilization of Methacrylates and
Polymer Matrices for the
Synthesis of Ion Specific Resins |
University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Improved LWR Cladding
Performance by EPD Surface
Modification Technique |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Atomistic Calculations of the
Effect of Minor Actinides on
Thermodynamic and Kinetic
Properties of UO2+x |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
Improved Fission Neutron Data
Base for Active Interrogation of
Actinides
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University of Michigan
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