The Nuclear Process Science Initiative (NPSI) is an internal, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program investment in support of the nuclear science and technology research enterprise at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This five-year investment is intended to build expertise and capabilities in nuclear materials characterization, chemistry, physics, and engineering to support capture of business opportunities in legacy waste management and nuclear nonproliferation.
The science vision for NPSI is to understand, harness, and exploit the interfacial phenomena controlling the behavior of materials in post reactor nuclear fuel processing. Research activities in support of this vision will be focused into the following Science Thrusts:
1. Interfacial Chemistry and Physics: Understand and harness the chemical and physical driving forces controlling solid phase formation, agglomeration, and dissolution in harsh environments.
2. Chemical fractionation: Discover and exploit the chemical and physical driving forces controlling the formation, distribution and influence of trace species during the processing of nuclear materials.
3. Multi-scale Modeling: Anticipate problems and signatures in post reactor nuclear fuel processing using validated multi-scale models representing relevant chemical and physical driving forces.
NPSI will strengthen PNNLs nuclear materials capabilities, including advanced characterization, analytics, and handling, to enhance the capture of client funding to support these critical mission areas. In the legacy waste management area, NPSI will create the foundation and demonstrate our ability to understand, predict, and control tank waste behavior in key areas and with the level of confidence required to substantially reduce cost in the current baseline. This initiative will also enable development of, as well as facilitate, transformational alternatives for legacy waste processing. In nonproliferation, NPSI will demonstrate our ability to discover and develop new process signatures in nuclear materials and provide the basis for PNNL to host a laboratory-scale nuclear reprocessing capability. This capability will support a variety of research and development (R&D) of high interest to national security clients, substantially enhancing the nations ability to combat nuclear proliferation and terrorism.