2015-Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
SIPS 2015 Volume 7: Ionic Liquids & Energy Production
| Editors: | Kongoli F, Gaune-Escard M, Mauntz M, Rubinstein J, Dodds H.L. |
| Publisher: | Flogen Star OUTREACH |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Pages: | 310 pages |
| ISBN: | 978-1-987820-30-0 |
| ISSN: | 2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series) |
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R&D Strategy for Advanced Nuclear Technology
Kemal Pasamehmetoglu1;1IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY, Idaho Falls, United States;
Type of Paper: Regular
Id Paper: 159
Topic: 17
Abstract:
Producing 64% of all emission-free electricity generation, nuclear energy is the cornerstone of the U.S. clean energy platform. During 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy produced a "Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap", which is being updated. Led by the Idaho National Laboratory, the DOE laboratories with significant nuclear energy research portfolios have all participated in this effort. Coincidentally, the Generation IV International Forum published its "Technology Roadmap Update for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems" in 2014. Further, the International Energy Agency's "World Energy Outlook 2014" projects significant growth of nuclear capacity by mid-century for all low-carbon scenarios.
This presentation will summarize how these ambitious technology development goals are being translated into specific research and development (R&D) plans, including the creation of new facility, measurement and simulation capabilities. An engineering-driven, science-based approach is being employed to establish an innovative research, development and demonstration (RD&D) paradigm. The four overarching objectives of this program are:
1. Improve the reliability and performance, sustain the safety and security, and extend the life of the current reactors by developing advanced technological solutions.
2. Meet the Administration's energy security and climate change goals by developing technologies to support the development of affordable advanced reactors.
3. Optimize energy generation, waste generation, safety, and non-proliferation attributes by developing sustainable nuclear fuel cycles.
4. Enable future innovative nuclear energy options by developing and maintaining an integral national RD&D framework.
Nuclear energy R&D budget remains healthy in the U.S. while the 100 operating reactors continue to set records on capacity factors. The Department of Energy continues to invest in nuclear energy research infrastructure. Three initiatives are generating enthusiasm: (1) deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) by early 2020's, (2) development of accident tolerant fuels for light water reactors, and (3) development of nuclear hybrid energy systems that have the potential for enhancing grid stability while substantially reducing industrial process emissions. The future is bright for the next generation of scientists and engineers that will make the deployment of advanced technologies possible.