Education

• B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1969
• M.S., Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1971
• Sc.D., Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1974

Biography

Dr. Charles Forsberg is the Executive Director for the MIT Nuclear Fuel Cycle Study. Before joining MIT he was a Corporate Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Forsberg received the 2002 American Nuclear Society Special Award for Innovative Nuclear Reactors, and in 2005 the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Robert E. Wilson Award in recognition of chemical engineering contributions to nuclear energy, including his work on reprocessing, waste management, repositories, and production of liquid fuels using nuclear energy. He holds 10 patents and has published more than 250 papers.

Dr. Forsberg’s current research interests include development of integrated nuclear fuel cycles, advanced high-temperature nuclear reactors using liquid-salt coolants, and development of global nuclear-renewables energy systems. The characteristics of each of these areas is the coupling of different technologies to enhance performance or create new capabilities. He is a licensed professional engineer.

Selected Publications

Combined Nuclear-Fossil-Renewable Energy Systems

1. C. W. Forsberg, “Economics of Meeting Peak Electricity Demand Using Hydrogen and Oxygen from Base-Load Nuclear or Off-Peak Electricity,” Nuclear Technology, 166 : 1, pp. 18-26 (April 2009).
2. C. W. Forsberg, “Is Hydrogen the Future of Nuclear Energy?” Nuclear Technology, V. 166: 1, PP. 3-10 (April 2009).
3. C. W. Forsberg, “Nuclear Energy for a Low-Carbon-Dioxide-Emission Transportation System with Liquid Fuels." Nuclear Technology, V. 164 : 3 · Dec 2008 · pp. 348-367.
4. C. W. Forsberg, “Sustainability by combining nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy sources," Progress in Nuclear Energy, V. 51:1, Jan 2009, pp. 192-200
5. C. W. Forsberg, “An Air-Brayton Nuclear Hydrogen Combined-Cycle Peak- and Base-Load Electric Plant,” CD-ROM, IMECE2007-43907, 2007 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Seattle, Washington, November 11-15, 2007, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2007.
6. C. W. Forsberg, “Meeting U.S. liquid transport fuel needs with a nuclear hydrogen biomass system,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2008.07.110) (2008).

Repository and Other Disposal Systems

1. C. W. Forsberg and L. R. Dole, "Cermet Spent Nuclear Fuel Casks and Waste Packages", Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXX, Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings Volume 985, Editors: D. Dunn, C. Poinssot, and B. Begg, 0985-NN08-08, pg 282-285, Warrendale, Pennsylvania (2006).
2. C. W. Forsberg and L. R. Dole, "Maintaining Chemically Reducing Waste Package Conditions", Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXVI, Materials Research Society, Boston, Ma, December 2-6, 2002, Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 757, pp. 677-684, Editors: R. J. Finch and D. B. Bullen, Warrendale, Pa, 2003.
3. C. W. Forsberg, "Effect of Depleted-Uranium-Dioxide Particulate Fill on Spent-Nuclear-Fuel Waste Packages," Nuclear Technology, 131 (3): pp. 337-353 (September 2000).
4. C. W. Forsberg, "Rethinking High-Level Waste Disposal: Separate Disposal of High-Heat Radionuclides (⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs)," Nuclear Technology, 131 (2): pp. 252-268 (August 2000).
5. C. W. Forsberg, "Long-term Criticality Control in Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities," Nuclear Safety, 38(1):60-69 (January-March 1997).
6. C. W. Forsberg, "An Ocean Island Geological Repository—A Second-Generation Option for Disposal of Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste," Nuclear Technology 101 (1), 40-53 (January 1993).
7. C. W. Forsberg, Health and Environmental Risk-Related Impacts of Actinide Burning on High-Level Waste Disposal, ORNL/M-1822, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (May 1992).
8. C. W. Forsberg, "Disposal of Hazardous Elemental Wastes," Environ. Sci. Technol. 18, 56A-62A (February 1984).

Advanced Reactors and Passive Reactor Safety Systems

1. C. W. Forsberg, P. F. Peterson, and R. A. Kochendarfer, “Design Options for the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor,” International Congress on Advanced Nuclear Power Plants, Anaheim, California, June 8-15, 2008, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, Illinois, 2008.
2. C. W. Forsberg, “Thermal- and Fast-Spectrum Molten Salt Reactors for Actinide Burning and Fuels Production,” Proc. Global 2007: Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Systems, Boise, Idaho, September 9-13, 2007, American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, Illinois.
3. C. W. Forsberg, C. Renault, C. LeBrun, E. Merlet-Lucotte, and V. Ignatiev “Liquid Salt Applications and Molten Salt Reactors (Les applications des sels liquides et les reacteurs a sels fondues)”, RGN: Revue Generale Nucleaire, No. 4, pp. 63-71, July-August 2007.
4. C. W. Forsberg. "The Advanced High-Temperature Reactor: High-Temperature Fuel, Liquid Salt Coolant, and Liquid-Metal-Reactor Plant", Progress in Nuclear Energy 47, No: 1-4, pp. 32-43, Ed. T. Yano, Elsevier Ltd. (2005).
5. C. W. Forsberg, G. W. Parker, J. C. Rudolph, I. W. Osborne-Lee and M. A. Kenton, Termination of Light-Water Reactor Core-Melt Accidents with a Chemical Core Catcher: The Core-Melt Source Reduction System (COMSORS), ORNL-6899, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, September 1996.
6. C. W. Forsberg and J. C. Conklin, "Passive Cooling System with Temperature Control for Reactor Containments," Nuclear Technology 116 (1) 55-65 (October 1996)
7. C. W. Forsberg, "A Process Inherent Ultimate Safety Boiling Water Reactor," Nuclear Technology, 72: 121-134 (February 1986).

Fuel Cycle (non-repository)

1. C. W. Forsberg and M. J. Driscoll, "Specialized Disposal Sites for Different Reprocessing Plant Wastes" Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXX, Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings Volume 985, Editors: D. Dunn, C. Poinssot, and B. Begg, 0985-NN13-11, pg 551-556, Warrendale, Pennsylvania (2006).
2. C. W. Forsberg, C. M. Hopper, J. L. Richter, and H.C. Vantine. Definition of Weapons-usable Uranium-233, ORNL/TM-13517, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (March 1998).
3. C. W. Forsberg, E. C. Beahm, G. W. Parker, and K. R. Elam, "Conversion of Radioactive and Hazardous Chemical Wastes into Borosilicate Glass Using the Glass Material Oxidation and Dissolution System," Waste Management 16 (7): 615-623 (1996).
4. C. W. Forsberg, "Separation of Americium, Curium, and Trivalent Lanthanides from High-Level Wastes by Oxalate Precipitation: Experiments with Synthetic Waste Solutions," Nuclear Technology, 49, 243-52 (July 1980).
5. C. W. Forsberg and Manson Benedict, "An Evaluation of Uranium Enrichment by Mass Diffusion," pp. 24-30 in Recent Developments in Uranium Enrichment, AIChE Symposium Series, 78, 221, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York, New York (1982).

Other

1. C. W. Forsberg, "Radioactive Wastes", Vol 13, Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences and Technology, Academic Press, San Diego (2002).
2. J. N. Barkenbus, and C. W. Forsberg, "Internationalizing Nuclear Safety: The Pursuit of Collective Responsibility," Annu. Rev. Energy Environ. 20, 179B212 (1995).
3. C. W. Forsberg and A. M. Weinberg, "Advanced Reactors, Passive Safety, and the Acceptance of Nuclear Energy," Annual Reviews of Energy, 15: 133-152 (1990).
4. C. W. Forsberg (contributor), Radioactive Waste Technology. Eds.: A. A. Moghissi, H. W. Godbee, and S. A. Hobert, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, 1986.

U. S. Patents

1. Forsberg and Sikka, Manufacture of Annular Cermet Articles, 6,811,745 (Nov. 2, 2004)
2. Forsberg, Recovery of Fissile Materials from Nuclear Wastes, 5,961,679 (Oct. 5, 1999).
3. Forsberg, Depleted Uranium as a Backfill for Nuclear Fuel Waste Packages, 5,832,392 (Nov. 3, 1998).
4. Forsberg, Treatment of Halogen-Containing Waste and Other Waste Materials, 5,613,241 (March 18, 1997).
5. Forsberg, Beahm, and Parker, Radioactive Waste Material Disposal, 5,461,185 (Oct. 24, 1995).
6. Forsberg, Beahm, and Parker, Core Melt Source Reduction System, 5,410,577 (April 25, 1995).
7. Forsberg, Temperature Initiated Passive Cooling System, 5,360,056 (Nov. 1, 1994).
8. Forsberg, Container for Reprocessing and Permanent Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel Assemblies, U.S. 5,098,645 (March 24, 1992).
9. Forsberg, Passive Decay Heat Removal System for Water Cooled Nuclear Reactors, 5,076,999 (Dec. 31, 1991).
10. Forsberg, Boiling Water Neutronic Reactor Incorporating a Processing Inherent Safety Design, 4,666,654 (May 19, 1987).