The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $8.5 million to help commercialize advanced nuclear technologies.
The funding supports five industry-led projects across the country and leverages the latest modeling and simulation tools developed by DOE, in addition to siting analysis and other research activities that will inform the future deployment of advanced reactors on islands or for the potential use in maritime applications.
Advanced reactors will completely change the way we engineer, build, and operate nuclear reactors. These awards support technical and regulatory strides necessary for commercializing new carbon-free nuclear technologies poised to help our nation reach net-zero emissions by 2050
said Dr. Kathryn Huff, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy.
The solicitations are broken down into three funding pathways to support first-of-a-kind nuclear demonstration readiness projects, advanced reactor development projects, and direct regulatory assistance.
The following projects selected under the advanced reactor development projects pathway include:
Phase 2 – Site Suitability Study for Small Modular Reactors and Microreactors in Puerto Rico – The Nuclear Alternative Project will evaluate the general site suitability for small modular reactors and microreactors in Puerto Rico. Results of the study will support DOEs mission to commercialize these technologies in small island and/or remote locations. Total Award Value: $1,628,285
Off-Gas Modeling and Uncertainty Propagation to Support Molten Salt Reactor Licensing – Terrestrial Energy USA, Inc. will develop an approach to handle uncertainty in the modeling of off-gas systems of molten salt reactors. The team will use available Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program tools developed by DOE and will apply this methodology to the company’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor design. Total Award Value: $2,998,325
Accelerating Commercial Maritime Demonstration Projects for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies – American Bureau of Shipping will focus on addressing hurdles in the maritime domain so that new reactor technology can be rapidly deployed for commercial applications. Advanced nuclear technology is well-positioned to be one of the strongest tools available to help the industry achieve its aggressive decarbonization goals. Total Award Value: $793,999
On the Path to a Nuclear Fuel Digital Twin: Modeling and Simulation of Silicon Carbide Cladding for Accelerated Fuel Qualification – General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems will deliver a constitutive model, based on physics, for its silicon carbide-based fuel for high-temperature gas reactors. The new tool will be benchmarked against commercially available models and experimental data to demonstrate to regulators how the fuel behaves under all conditions in a reactor. Total Award Value: $2,730,335
Grant assistance projects will also include:
Advanced Modeling and Simulation to Characterize Advanced BWR Source Terms to Support a Regulatory Approval Pathway for Right-Sized Emergency Planning Zone – Pittsburgh Technicalwill support the development of improved modeling and simulation capabilities for advanced boiling water reactors by improving existing fission product transport and deposition models. This will support right-sized emergency planning zones for advanced reactors. Total Award Value: $306,250
One DOE application review will be conducted in Fiscal Year 2022 with selection processes continuing through December 2022.
