PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW

PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW --

NUCLEAR ENERGY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

http://www.nuclear.gov

Continued use of nuclear power is an important part of the Department’s strategy to provide for the Nation’s energy security, as well as to be responsible stewards of the environment. Nuclear energy research currently provides over 20 percent of the U.S. electricity generation and will continue to provide a significant portion of U.S. electrical energy production for many years to come. Also, nuclear power in the U.S. makes a significant contribution to lowering the emission of gases associated with global climate change and air pollution.

The Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE) enables the Department of Energy to provide the technical leadership necessary to address critical domestic and international nuclear issues by administering research and development and technical assistance in the following general areas: (1) the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative, http://gen-iv.ne.doe.gov/, seeks to develop and demonstrate of one or more Generation IV nuclear energy systems that offer advantages in the areas of economics, safety and reliability, sustainability, and could be deployed commercially by 2030; (2) the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) Program addresses key issues affecting the future of nuclear energy in order to preserve U.S. nuclear science and technology leadership; (3) the Radioisotope Power Systems Program develops new state-of-the-art radioisotope power systems to support the NASA space missions and terrestrial applications for other agencies; (4) the Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization (NEPO) Program conducts research to assure the continued safe and reliable operations of over 100 of the Nation’s nuclear power plants; (5) the University Reactor Fuel and Educational Assistance Program is designed to help retain the U.S. nuclear engineering capability for conducting nuclear research, addressing pressing nuclear environmental challenges, and preserving the nuclear energy option; and (6) the Isotope Production Program produces and sells hundreds of stable and radioactive isotopes that are widely used by domestic and international customers for medicine, industry and research applications.

27. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY

Nuclear power provides over 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply without emitting harmful air pollutants, including those that may cause adverse global climate changes. New methods and technologies are needed to address key issues that affect the future deployment of nuclear energy and to preserve the U.S. leadership in nuclear technology and engineering. This topic addresses several of these key technology areas: improvements in nuclear reactor technology for existing reactors, advanced instrumentation and control for very high temperature reactor applications, and advanced core/reactor physics computer simulations and modeling. Grant applications are sought only in the following subtopics:

a. New Technology for Improved Nuclear Energy Systems – Improvements and advances are needed for reactor systems and component technologies that ultimately would be used in the design, construction, or operation of existing and future nuclear power plants and Generation IV nuclear power systems [See References 1-5]. Grant applications are sought: (1) to improve and optimize nuclear power plant systems, and component instrumentation and control, by developing and improving the reliability of advanced instrumentation, sensors, controls, thereby providing more accurate measurement of key reactor and plant parameters; (2) to improve monitoring of plant equipment performance and aging, using improved diagnostic techniques for in-service and non-destructive examinations; (3) for advanced instrumentation, sensors, and controls that can withstand temperatures in excess of 800 C for the very high temperature Generation IV reactor designs; and (4) for advanced reactor/core computer simulation methods including advanced reactor design model code development; coupled/parallel thermal-hydraulic-reactor physics tools; safety and performance evaluation methods; and engineering calculations for new and existing nuclear reactors, major reactor components, and reactor core and fuel assemblies. Please note that the following areas of investigation are NOT of interest and will be declined: concepts for complete or partial reactor plant designs; generalized thermal-hydraulics analysis (e.g. CFD or two-fluid codes) and probabilistic risk assessment tools or methods; nuclear power plant security or building/containment enhancements; and NRC licensing and site permit issues. In addition, grant applications that deal with nuclear materials, chemistry, and/or corrosion research are also not of interest for this topic and should be submitted instead under Topic 28.

References:

1. What’s News , U.S. DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology http://www.nuclear.gov

2. Moving Forward on Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems, U.S. DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, May 2003. (Available at: http://www.nuclear.gov/. Scroll to bottom of page. Under “Quick Links,” select “Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative.”)

3. Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI), Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, http://neri.ne.doe.gov.

4. Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization Program (NEPO), Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, http://nepo.ne.doe.gov/.

5. [Recommendations from the] U.S. Department of Energy Instrumentation, Controls and Human-Machine Interface (IC & HMI) Technology Workshop, Gaithersburg, MD, May 2002, IC&HMI Report, U.S. Department of Energy, September 2002. (Full text available at: http://www.orau.gov/icandhmiworkshop/)