PMFORUM Breaking News
Breaking News in the Project Management World
Friday, August 01, 2008
Deep-Burn Development Project Receives Funding - to Burn Nuclear Waste and Generate Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that it has selected teams led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to advance the technology of nuclear fuel "Deep-Burn," in which plutonium and higher transuranics recycled from spent nuclear fuel are destroyed while generating energy. This revolutionary technology not only advances nuclear power production but reduces the amount of radioactive waste produced in the end.
The two national laboratory teams were selected for work totaling $7.3 million. To accomplish their mission, the Idaho and Illinois-based DOE laboratories are partnering with other national laboratories, universities, and industry.
"Deep-Burn R&D is valuable," said DOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon. "It has the potential to greatly reduce the amount of long-lasting waste produced by the nation's next generation of nuclear power reactors. At the same time this technology could greatly increase the amount of safe, economical, carbon-free electricity generated by advanced nuclear fuel."
These research and development activities are aimed at establishing the technological foundations that will support the role of the Very-High-Temperature, gas-cooled Reactor (VHTR) in the nuclear fuel cycle. The VHTR is one of the prototype reactors being researched under the Department’s Generation IV nuclear power program and is the reference technology for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP).
The research and development work performed under these awards will be carried out in two parts: Advanced Modeling and Simulation Capability for VHTR Development and Design at a cost of $1 million led by ANL; and Transuranic Management Capabilities of the Deep-Burn VHTR at a cost of $6.3 million led by the INL.
The primary mission of the NGNP is the production of high-temperature heat for use as a source of process heat for generation of electricity. A further goal is to enable a quantitative assessment of the scope, cost and schedule implications of extending the NGNP mission in the future to destruction of plutonium and other transuranics. The Deep-Burn R&D effort will be coordinated with the ongoing Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) programs to ensure synergism and to avoid duplication of efforts. The R&D that will be carried out is a part of DOE’s Generation IV program which aims to further the fundamental R&D to ensure the viability of the next-generation of nuclear energy systems.
For additional information on this announcement, the NGNP, the GNEP, and nuclear energy research and development programs please visit: http://www.nuclear.gov/.
"Deep-Burn R&D is valuable," said DOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon. "It has the potential to greatly reduce the amount of long-lasting waste produced by the nation's next generation of nuclear power reactors. At the same time this technology could greatly increase the amount of safe, economical, carbon-free electricity generated by advanced nuclear fuel."
These research and development activities are aimed at establishing the technological foundations that will support the role of the Very-High-Temperature, gas-cooled Reactor (VHTR) in the nuclear fuel cycle. The VHTR is one of the prototype reactors being researched under the Department’s Generation IV nuclear power program and is the reference technology for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP).
The primary mission of the NGNP is the production of high-temperature heat for use as a source of process heat for generation of electricity. A further goal is to enable a quantitative assessment of the scope, cost and schedule implications of extending the NGNP mission in the future to destruction of plutonium and other transuranics. The Deep-Burn R&D effort will be coordinated with the ongoing Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) programs to ensure synergism and to avoid duplication of efforts. The R&D that will be carried out is a part of DOE’s Generation IV program which aims to further the fundamental R&D to ensure the viability of the next-generation of nuclear energy systems.
For additional information on this announcement, the NGNP, the GNEP, and nuclear energy research and development programs please visit: http://www.nuclear.gov/.
