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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​FY 2022 Infrastructure Grants

Twenty university-led projects will receive more than $5.2 million for research reactor and infrastructure improvements, providing important safety, performance, and student education-related upgrades to a portion of the nation's 25 university research reactors, as well as enhancing university research and training infrastructure.

A full list of infrastructure recipients is listed below. Actual project funding will be established during contract negotiation phase.​

FY 2022 Infrastructure Awards​
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Description
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/GSI-22-27466_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractGSI-22-27466.pdf
22
Abilene Christian UniversityInfrastructureGeneral Scientific Infrastructure$292,770
Abilene Christian University will provide $42,770 in cost match to expand a new radioactive materials characterization capability in the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Laboratory at Abilene Christian University. The new capability will provide real-time in situ characterization of molecular species in forced-flow molten salt systems using UV-Vis-IR spectroscopy and electrochemistry of salt and mass spectrometry of the off gas in a new radiological lab (>5mr/hr@30cm).
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/GSI-22-27480_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstract(GSI-22-27480).pdf
22
Clemson UniversityInfrastructureGeneral Scientific Infrastructure$244,767
This project seeks to purchase a new Raman microscope for student and faculty research at Clemson University. The new Raman microscope will be dedicated to examination of the chemistry and structure of radioactive materials.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/GSI-22-27491_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractGSI-22-27491.pdf
22
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyInfrastructureGeneral Scientific Infrastructure$156,249
The MIT Nuclear Reactor Lab (NRL) seeks to purchase a Flash Differential Scanning Calorimeter, to enable a greatly increased scientific output from all materials used in the MIT reactor and throughout the NSUF network. The FlashDSC-2 allows thermal analysis up to 1000C, enabling the direct measurement of Wigner energy (radiation defects) for defect reaction analysis and quantification, which has major implications for correlating radiation effects from neutrons and ions.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/GSI-22-27459_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractGSI-22-27459.pdf
22
The Ohio State UniversityInfrastructureGeneral Scientific Infrastructure$275,000
The Ohio State University will provide $25,000 in cost match to enhance the educational and research capabilities of the Nuclear Engineering Program at The Ohio State University (OSU) by upgrading the infrastructure related to advanced reactor risk, reliability, safety and security characterization and improvement, and in support of its NSUF in the form of OSU’s Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. Risk, reliability, safety and security characterization will be enhanced through acquiring and installing NuScale's full scope simulator.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/GSI-22-27468_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractGSI-22-27468.pdf
22
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignInfrastructureGeneral Scientific Infrastructure$317,500
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will provide $67,500 in cost match to enhance the educational and research missions of the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering (NPRE), as well as the research mission of DOE-NE, this project aims to acquire a nuclear reactor simulator and a versatile, configurable, and extensible digital control room. This simulator and digital control room will be used in undergraduate and graduate course work, in K-12 outreach efforts, and for research in several areas of importance to DOE-NE.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/GSI-22-27483_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractGSI-22-27483.pdf
22
University of Missouri, ColumbiaInfrastructureGeneral Scientific Infrastructure$225,933
This proposal requests funding for equipment that will establish a core of materials characterization capabilities at the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center (MURR), and includes a Raman spectroscopy system, a microhardness tester, a micro test stand, a microscope and a digital image correlation system.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/GSI-22-27474_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractGSI-22-27474.pdf
22
University of PittsburghInfrastructureGeneral Scientific Infrastructure$565,573
The University of Pittsburgh will provide $315,574 in cost match to purchase a Gleeble system equipped with extreme environmental capabilities to strengthen core nuclear capability in strategic thrust areas in fuel performance, additive manufacturing of nuclear components, and reactor materials at the University of Pittsburgh.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/GSI-22-27429_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractGSI-22-27429.pdf
22
University of Tennessee at KnoxvilleInfrastructureGeneral Scientific Infrastructure$319,306
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville will provide $69,306 in cost match to construct, license and operate a facility that can be used to measure nuclear physics properties in specific fast reactor flux specta. This project will deliver to the nation a Fast Flux Facility (FFF) that supports a variety of fast reactor designs including sodium, lead, and salt; through improved cross sections and neutronics codes for advanced reactor design and licensing.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27481_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27481.pdf
22
Missouri University of Science and TechnologyInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$172,157
This project has three objectives: 1) to procure spare and replacement parts needed to maintain the reactor’s safety and control systems, 2) to develop a suite of electronics test equipment that will provide researchers with the ability to study the performance of electronics under irradiation, and 3) to perform computational analyses needed as part of the process of requesting a power uprate.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27489_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27489.pdf
22
North Carolina State UniversityInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$130,100
The objective of this proposal is to provide the PULSTAR with essential safety, plant status monitoring, utilization, and radiation protection infrastructure upgrades that will ensure its continued safe and efficient operation currently and at 2-MWth. This infrastructure upgrade allows the facility to continue to meet the increasing needs of PULSTAR users, enhancing user experience, expansion into new facilities, and supports the institutional and national missions.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27498_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27498.pdf
22
Pennsylvania State UniversityInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$364,240
In this application, we seek funds for enhancement of radiation safety and security infrastructure for our new expanded beam hall, a triple neutron beam catcher for new cold neutron beamline, and a neutron beam cave for the beam bender and neutron chopper sections of the extended beam line for the SANS facility. The funds requested for this application will enable us to utilize the expanded beam hall safely and efficiently.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27501_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27501.pdf
22
Reed CollegeInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$543,400
Reed College requests funding to primarily secure and secondarily extend the life of the safety system functions with new power monitoring channels at the console. Obsolete safety-critical signal conditioning of old channels puts the reactor at risk of indeterminate shut-down if not replaced by modern, well-supported technology.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-26822_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-26822.pdf
22
The Ohio State UniversityInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$111,354
The Ohio State University Research Reactor depends upon many old, custom components in and around the reactor pool for which there are no replacements. Failure of any of these would likely result in an extended downtime. We are requesting funding to obtain replacement/spare custom facility components to “enhance the institutions’ availability to perform R&D that is relevant to DOE-NE’s mission” by precluding a such a failure.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27465_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27465.pdf
22
University of FloridaInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$55,720
We propose the procurement of new gas effluent monitoring systems that will enable the UFTR to offer an increased suite of capabilities including plume monitoring and source term-tracking. The proposed system redundancy will enable a significant improvement of reliability and availability.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27494_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022Summary_AbstractRU-22-27494.pdf
22
University of Maryland, College ParkInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$171,956
During the installation of lightly irradiated fuel bundles, reactor operators discovered that these new fuel bundles would not fit into the grid plate. It was determined that the original bundles were installed in the wrong orientation in 1974. To install the lightly irradiated fuel bundles, reactor operators will need to unload the current core and disassemble all fuel bundles for inspection. The fuel will then be re-assembled with new end adapters for installation in the correct orientation.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27477_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27477.pdf
22
University of Massachusetts, LowellInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$156,496
The University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Reactor (UMLRR) will replace aging components associated with the area radiation monitoring system and the reactor instrumentation and control systems. In addition, a broad energy germanium detector will be acquired to provide radiological monitoring capabilities at the reactor facility. These acquisitions will provide reliability of reactor operations and improve radiation safety for staff, faculty, and students working at the reactor.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27331_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27331.pdf
22
University of Missouri, ColumbiaInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$170,775
Replacement of primary coolant pumps and a facility electrical transformer is a high priority, critically needed enhancement for the MURR Center in order to support academic programs at the University of Missouri (MU) and partnering schools, and maintain the facility’s ability to perform research supporting DOE-NE’s research mission.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27497_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27497.pdf
22
University of Texas at AustinInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$792,101
The objective of this project is to replace the original General Atomics (GA) integrated digital control and instrumentation system for the TRIGA Mark II nuclear reactor at the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory (NETL) of The University of Texas at Austin (UT) with a modern, reliable, enhanced and capable system to increase useable reactor power, eliminate the risk for catastrophic failure, and improve reactor safety.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27422_TechnicalAbstract_FY_2022_Summary_Abstract_RU-22-27422.pdf
22
University of Wisconsin-MadisonInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$55,495
The specific objective of this proposal is to enhance safety and ensure regulatory compliance at the University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor (UWNR) and associated Characterization Laboratory for Irradiated Materials (CLIM) through the acquisition of a radiation tolerant underwater camera with pan, tilt, zoom (PTZ) capabilities.
  
https://neup.inl.gov/FY22%20Abstracts/RU-22-27485_TechnicalAbstract_FY2022SummaryAbstractRU-22-27485.pdf
22
Washington State UniversityInfrastructureReactor Upgrades$104,976
The goal of this project is to enhance the continued operational reliability of the WSU Nuclear Science Center 1.0 MW TRIGA conversion research reactor by procuring spare reactor power detectors to replace aging ex-core detectors and fabricating detector housings.