The US Energy Department has announced US$3.5m for four advanced nuclear reactor projects that go beyond traditional light water designs. These projects, led by General Atomics, GE Hitachi, Gen4 Energy and Westinghouse, will address key technical challenges to designing, building and operating the next generation of nuclear reactors.
The four projects selected for negotiation will receive up to US$3.5m in total, with a 20% private cost share:
- General Atomics (San Diego, California) will conduct research and development on silicon carbide composite material, which could act as a safe and reliable material for fuel rod cladding in advanced reactor designs. Better understanding of silicon carbide composite material will help incorporate this material into advanced nuclear reactor designs and support future licensing efforts.
- GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (Wilmington, North Carolina) will develop high temperature insulation materials and robust analysis tools to help design and manufacture electromagnetic pumps for liquid-metal-cooled nuclear reactors. Electromagnetic pumps have less moving parts than traditional mechanical pumps – improving reliability and safety, while reducing maintenance needs.
- Gen4 Energy (Denver, Colorado) will conduct research and development on natural circulation designs for advanced nuclear reactors that utilize a lead bismuth coolant. The project will develop computer models that will help visualize natural circulation flow and integrate it into safe, reliable reactor designs.
- Westinghouse Electric Company (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) will conduct analysis on sodium thermal hydraulics to support advanced nuclear reactor design. The project will provide analytical tools to help quantify heat exchanger performance and improve component engineering for sodium-cooled reactor designs.
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