The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $61 million to support 99 projects spread across 30 states and a U.S. territory. The U-M Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) has received $1,150,000 to fund two projects to advance nuclear technology. The awards are through two DOE programs: the Nuclear Energy University Program…
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $61 million to support 99 projects spread across 30 states and a U.S. territory. The U-M Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) has received $1,150,000 to fund two projects to advance nuclear technology. The awards are through two DOE programs: the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) and the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET).
“Nuclear power is critical to America’s clean energy future and we are committed to making it a more accessible, affordable, and resilient energy solution for communities across the country,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “At DOE we’re not only investing in the country’s current nuclear fleet, but we’re also investing in the scientists and engineers who are developing and deploying the next generation of advanced nuclear technologies that will slash the amount of carbon pollution, create good-paying energy jobs, and realize our carbon-free goals.”
According to DOE, the projects funded will focus on nuclear energy research, cross-discipline technology development, and nuclear reactor infrastructure to bolster the resiliency and use of America’s largest domestic source of carbon-free energy. It will also help to meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious goals of 100% clean electricity by 2035, and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
NERS PI: Prof. Xiaodong Sun
Amount: $800,000
Collaborators: Prof. Annalisa Manera, NERS; Yang Liu, Virginia Tech; Adrian Tentner, Argonne National Laboratory; and Yixing Sung, Westinghouse Electric Company
The primary objective of this proposed research is to develop a comprehensive, high-resolution, multiphase computational fluid dynamics validation-grade flow boiling data from rod bundle geometry simulating current light water reactor fuel designs by taking advantage of the instrumentation and facility developed by the research team. In addition, the applicability of the data through initial evaluations of selected test cases using Nek-2P boiling closure models will be studied and demonstrated for two-phase flow simulations.
NERS PI: Prof. Kevin FIeld
Amount: $350,000
Collaborators: Prof. Gary S. Was, NERS; and Prof. Lumin Wang, NERS
This project will support the acquisition and deployment of a Gatan GIF (Gatan Imaging Filter) Continuum ER system in the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory (MIBL) ThermoFisher Tecnai TF30 scanning/transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) that is augmented to allow in situ dual ion beam irradiation. This purchase will result in a significant enhancement of the characterization capabilities of the MIBL system, which will result in high-throughput experimental workflows including in-situ TEM ion irradiations.