Nuclear Energy and Sustainability
| Projects |
|
Nuclear Energy for Electricity, Hydrogen and Drinkable Water: Hydrogen production and use to manufacture transportation fuels have become a national priority. The department is uniquely positioned to participate in this exciting new area because of the experience it has in high-temperature reactor design and analysis. A new project was started for examining various designs of nuclear power plants to address future needs of electricity, drinkable water and hydrogen through a highly efficient and environmentally friendly reactor (HEER). HEER will also emphasize minimum production of spent fuel and waste. Three advanced reactors are being examined: (1) an innovative fuel designs to enable efficient (high burnup) fuel utilization and heating the coolant in an LWR to a higher temperature through implementation of annular fuel in the pressurized water-cooled integrated reactor International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS, (2) The design of a superheat LWR and (3) A molten salt reactor with a thermal spectrum and advanced energy conversion system. The two year project is supported by the MASDAR group of Abu-Dhabi NS is supervised by Prof. Kazimi and Dr. Hejzlar.
Developing an Economic High Temperature Solid Oxide Electrolyzer.Professor Bilge Yildiz and her group are examining the desing of a solid oxide electrolysis cell of steam to increase the durability of the electrodes. They are examining the choice of oxide materials as well operating temperature and pressure to optimize the performance of the SOEC for production of hydrogen and oxygen. Electrochemical modeling and experiments are being pursued with support from INL and the MITEI.
Supercritical CO2 as power cycle
- Higher efficiency than Rankine cycle
- Much more compact (5 times smaller volume than Rankine cycle)
- Lower cost expected
- Fits well with fast reactors
- But significant R&D needed
Nuclear Power Container Ships. Professor Kadak and a graduate student from the Navy are working on the design of a nuclear powered container ship. While not a new idea since the Savannah was a commercial nuclear ship that operated from 1962 to 1971, current demands for new ships require higher speeds and power levels. The objective is to design twin reactors with 10 year lifetimes between refuelings using low enriched cores for duty cycles demanded for economic operation. Safety of floating nuclear plants will be reviewed as a part of the design project. Challenges that will be addressed beyond the technical are licensing and operations in world ports. The economics of nuclear powered commercial ships will be addressed as a function of the rising fuel costs.
