FY 2015 Nuclear Science User Facilities Awards
For the first time, the Department has fully integrated its competitive nuclear energy research award process with its competitive process for providing no-cost access to state-of-the-art experimental neutron and ion irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination facilities, synchrotron beamline capabilities, and technical assistance for design and analysis of experiments via its Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) [formerly Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility]. As a result, the Department has competitively selected and will fully fund the cost of access to NSUF capabilities to support three university-led and one national laboratory-led projects that will investigate important nuclear fuel and material applications. The value of the unique facilities access announced today exceeds $3 million. NSUF award recipients are listed below.
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FY 2015 Nuclear Science User Facilities Awards |
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Title |
Lead University
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Project Description |
Irradiation Influence on Alloys Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy and Hot Isostatic Pressing for Nuclear Applications | Boise State University | Researchers will gain access to the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory to assess the viability of using alloys manufactured by powder metallurgy and hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP) for nuclear reactor internals, to enhance weldability and inspectability. This project will conduct an ATR neutron irradiation campaign of common LWR and candidate ALWR and SMR structural alloys. Alloys will be prepared by PM-HIP and casting or forging, enabling a side-by-side comparison of the irradiation behavior of PM-HIP to conventional manufacturing. |
In-situ Synchrotron Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) Tensile Investigation of Neutron Irradiated Ferritic Alloys | University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign | Researchers will gain access to the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory to investigate and determine the impact of neutron irradiation-induced microstructural changes on the mechanical properties of Fe-Cr base alloys using in-situ synchrotron wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) tensile tests. Researchers will utilize the special capabilities of the Material Research Collaborative Access Team (MRCAT) beamline at APS to analyze the evolution of tensile properties of these alloys during tensile loading. |
Advanced Characterizations of Low-dose Neutron Irradiated T91 and HT9 Alloys | University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign | Researchers will gain access to the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory to conduct a coordinated set of experiments with PIE and analyses that will provide significant new insight into the irradiation performance of advanced ferritic alloys for future reactor applications. The research is based on T91 and HT9 alloys irradiated in the ATR using a matrix of irradiation conditions to characterize the microstrutural evolution in T91 and HT-9 as a function of irradiation temperature and dose. |
Microstructural Evolution in Low Fluence Irradiated Metallic Fuels | Idaho National Laboratory | Researchers will use the state-of-the-art synchrotron-based characterization techniques via the Nuclear Science User Facilities, (NSUF) to assess radiation damage effects on the microstructure, as well as mechanical properties resulting from recent low fluence neutron irradiations (up to 1 dpa with temperatures ranging from 150 to 800o C) which have been previously completed on metallic fuel alloys, including a number of U-Zr and U-Mo systems as part of an ATR NSUF irradiation experiment. |
