Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “advanced nuclear”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Siting Analyses for Advanced Nuclear Advisors (Final CRADA Report)

This report summarizes siting evaluation assistance provided to Advanced Nuclear Advisors (ANA) under CRADA/NFE-25-10693 for suitability of advanced nuclear technologies to meet siting criteria from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and associated guidance documents including the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) siting guide and other proprietary datasets. Advanced Nuclear Advisors provided sites for reactor siting evaluations using the Oak Ridge – Siting Analysis for power Generation Expansion (OR-SAGE) tool. Individual data packages for each site are provided separately.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal Systems Modeling for Integration of Industrial Processes with Advanced Nuclear

Applying combined heat and power concepts to advanced nuclear reactors can enable increased nuclear utilization in the future clean economy, as well as provide safe and reliable clean energy to industrial systems. Analyses have been performed to evaluate the integration of nuclear energy with industrial processes for both clean electricity production and providing process heat for direct use to reduce emissions in the production of chemical commodities. The key research question that needs to be answered is: "What are the prospective approaches for integrating nuclear-generated heat energy into non-electric applications that can facilitate combined heat and power operations by advanced nuclear reactor systems?" This presentation will highlight several case studies showing conceptual designs for thermal delivery systems to integrate small modular reactor (SMR) process steam and electricity with industrial processes including oil refining, hydrogen production, and methanol production.

hydrogen↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating advanced nuclear fission technologies for future decarbonized power grids

Advanced nuclear fission, which encompasses various innovative nuclear reactor designs, could contribute to the decarbonization of the United States electricity sector. However, little is known about how cost-competitive these reactors would be compared to other technologies, or about which aspects of their designs offer the most value to a decarbonized power grid. We employ an electricity system optimization model and a case study of a decarbonized U.S. Eastern Interconnection circa 2050 to generate initial indicators of future economic value for advanced reactors and the sensitivity of future value to various design parameters, the availability of competing technologies, and the underlying policy environment. These results can inform long-term cost targets and guide near-term innovation priorities, investments, and reactor design decisions. We find that advanced reactors should cost $\$5.7$–$\$7.3$/W to gain an initial market share (assuming 30 year asset life and 3.5 %–6.5 % real weighted average cost of capital), while those that include thermal storage in their designs can cost up to $\$6.0$/W–$\$7.7$/W (not including cost of storage). Since the marginal value of advanced fission reactors declines as market penetration increases, break-even costs fall ~32 % at 100 GW of cumulative capacity and ~51 % at 300 GW. Additionally, policies that provide investment tax credits for nuclear energy create the most favorable environment for advanced nuclear fission. In conclusion, these findings can inform near-term resource allocation decisions by stakeholders, innovators and investors working in the energy technology sector.

Capacity expansion↗
DOE OSTI2024

Rare Earth Carbide (Nd-C and Ce-C) Synthesis and Characterization to Inform Phase Equilibrium in Advanced Nuclear Fuels

As advances are being made regarding the performance of nuclear fuels, uranium carbides, and composites, such as (U,Zr)C and UO2 + UCx, have recently gained significant interest for deployment in nuclear space propulsion and high temperature gas-cooled reactors, respectively. However, the phase equilibria of several fission products in carbide systems remain unknown and may impact the overall fuel performance, specifically for particle nuclear fuels that are designed for commercial nuclear energy. Furthermore, comprehensive thermodynamic data on Rare Earth (RE) carbides, such as the Nd-C and Ce-C binary systems, remain limited. Presented in this study are the synthesis methods and characterizations of several Nd-C and Ce-C compositions. The findings from this research provide insights on the stability of RE-C binaries that form in irradiated nuclear fuels and address a critical knowledge gap in the current state of thermodynamics for two key RE-C systems.

Cavazos, Steven J. (ORCID:0009000130329363)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nuclear Balance-of-Plant Analysis for Heat and Electricity Calculations in Several Advanced Nuclear Reactor Concepts

In addition to producing electricity, advanced nuclear reactors can also serve as a source of process heat for a wide range of industrial or residential applications. In cases where the heat application requires low-temperature heat, waste heat from the balance of plant (BOP) can be utilized with minimal impact on electricity generation. For applications requiring higher-temperature heat, heat can be extracted from the BOP, though this will reduce the amount of electricity generated. In either case, the optimal BOP design will be case-specific and depend on multiple factors, including the reactor type and the thermal requirements of the heat application.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comprehensive defect evaluation of advanced nuclear fuels using high-resolution acoustic signals and optimized sensor separation

Graphite pebble composite structures based on TRistructural-ISOtropic (TRISO) particles are being developed as core nuclear fuels in advanced power reactors, promising safe operation at increased temperatures. Ensuring the structural integrity of these nuclear fuels requires comprehensive and accurate non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to characterize defects and damage in the pebbles. However, traditional acoustic evaluation methods face limitations in defect characterization due to the highly attenuative, and geometrically and compositionally complex nature of these structures. This study proposes an improved acoustic NDE technique for accurate detection and classification of anticipated relevant defects and damage in graphite pebbles using high-resolution acoustic signals and optimized transmit-receive sensor networks. The proposed approach utilizes a triangular three-sensor network as the base unit, comprising three transmit-receive sensors. The sensor separation distance, as well as acoustic excitation center frequency, pulse-width, and bandwidth are optimized to enhance spatial resolution and improve signal-to-noise ratio, enabling effective characterization of the smallest size and widest range of defects in pebbles. Furthermore, the use of the triangular sensor configuration instead of a more conventional transmit-receive sensor pair expands the inspection region from a one-dimensional linear path to a two-dimensional area, increasing spatial coverage. To mitigate challenges associated with processing of complex acoustic signals arising from high-frequency, high-bandwidth excitation in these structures, a machine-learning-based signal processing algorithm is integrated with the sensor network. In the machine-learning-based algorithm, multi-domain features are extracted from the acoustic signals to capture intricate signal characteristics, significantly improving defect identification and classification compared to traditional approaches. The proposed acoustic NDE technique offers considerable promise for practical and reliable defect/damage diagnostics of advanced nuclear pebble fuels.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pathways to Improved Representation in Advanced NucleAr science (PIRANA)

This document presents the final technical report for Pathways to Improved Representation in Advanced NucleAr Science (PIRANA), supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (Office of Nuclear Physics) under Award No. DE-SC0024677 through the Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) initiative. The project launched in Fall 2023 at Skyline College in San Bruno, California, a federally recognized Minority Serving Institution (MSI) and the only community college participating in the nEXO collaboration. Through this partnership, Skyline College established an accessible and rigorous research environment for its students. Over the course of the project, 10 student trainees made meaningful contributions to nEXO detector R&D and to activities aimed at expanding student engagement in advanced nuclear science. An additional 24 students completed the Summer Introduction to Research and Experimentation in Nuclear physics (SIREN), a three-week program developed from the training materials created for the nEXO trainees. All participating students engaged in opportunities to present their work locally and at national conferences, take part in public outreach, and contribute to a range of academic activities across campus. Collectively, these efforts extended the impact of the project throughout the wider Skyline College community.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Commercial integration of advanced nuclear energy with Artificial Intelligence (AI): Possible implications

The integration of advanced nuclear technologies (both fission and fusion) with artificial intelligence (AI) presents unprecedented national security challenges and opportunities. As fusion energy approaches commercial viability alongside advanced Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), their integration with AI and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) systems could fundamentally transform the global energy and AI landscapes — two pillars of national security. This document briefly examines how AI could accelerate nuclear energy development and deployment while altering existing power structures, a lot could be done to deepen the discussions. Simultaneously, it observes how nuclear-powered AI may expedite advances toward AGI and beyond. These issues are deeply interconnected and thus need to be examined as a whole and more comprehensively than what’s being summarized here. For instance, AI-powered autonomous operation of nuclear facilities could reduce human error but introduce new cybersecurity vulnerabilities and uncertainties. Further investigation would also address how AI-enhanced nuclear technologies might complicate proliferation concerns through advanced fuel cycle management, nuclear materials production and safeguard. The strategic advantage gained by first entities achieving successful AI-nuclear integration could reshape global and national security framework. Timely analysis of these implications may be crucial for policymakers seeking to harness these technologies' benefits while effectively mitigating their potential risks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Potential Supply Chain and Cost Reduction Strategies for Advanced Nuclear Reactors

This milestone represents a level of effort to provide recommendations for a supply chain plan and establish relationships between advanced reactor companies and large companies in the oil & gas and chemical industries. It represents a starting point to develop the plan with options, general equipment lists, and rough associated cost estimates of major equipment and the associated systems needed. This effort will provide an opportunity to leverage the experience that oil & gas and chemicals companies possess in large capital equipment procurement, modularization, acquisition and installation. Potential supply chain solutions will be discussed and preliminary options for worldwide manufacturers will be elucidated. The goal of this effort will be to leverage the years of accumulated experience in the oil & gas and chemical industries in the area of capital equipment acquisition to understand the potential supply chain options and to reduce potential acquisition costs by optimizing the supply chain options for advanced nuclear reactor modularization, manufacturing and acquisition.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measuring changes in environmental radiological background from construction of an advanced nuclear reactor testing facility

We present a method to survey and track changes in the environmental radiological background during the construction and operation of advanced nuclear reactor facilities. We discuss the results of two surveys of the environmental gamma-radiation background at NEXT Lab, an advanced nuclear reactor research facility on the campus of Abilene Christian University, prior to the introduction of radioactive material. In both surveys, the observed radiation dosage rates are low, with the highest rates at 15% of the average total radiation dosage rate for the United States. We observe ≈20% changes in the radiological background of the property in locations where the environment was changed by construction and ≈20% variations within the facilities correlated with variations in building materials.

Environment↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of Innovative Non-Concentrated Alloy (NCA) Fuel Cladding for Advanced Nuclear Reactors

As the nuclear energy sector advances toward next-generation reactors, the need for high-performance fuel cladding materials has become increasingly urgent. Traditional alloys like zirconium and stainless steel are reaching their performance limits under higher temperatures, more corrosive coolants, and extended irradiation. This report presents the development of a new class of fuel cladding materials based on Non-Concentrated Alloys (NCAs) ? multi-element systems designed to deliver enhanced mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and radiation tolerance. Through a combination of computational modeling (Computer Coupling of Phase Diagrams and Thermochemistry: CALPHAD), simulation-guided alloy selection, and experimental fabrication via arc melting and spark plasma sintering (SPS), three strategic alloy design paths were explored: (1) FeCrAl-based NCAs, (2) refractory-lean neutron-efficient alloys, and (3) equimolar high-entropy compositions. Microstructural analysis confirmed the formation of stable body-centered cubic BCC_A2 phases, while mechanical testing demonstrated hardness values significantly exceeding those of conventional cladding materials. The results highlight the tunability of NCA systems and their potential for balancing strength and ductility ? a critical consideration for in-reactor performance. Looking forward, future work will focus on thermomechanical optimization, CALPHAD refinement, and benchmarking against industry standards to enable scalable deployment. This work not only advances the science of nuclear materials but also supports broader goals in nuclear safety, performance, and nuclear energy innovation.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Laser Powder Bed Fusion Manufactured Alloys 625 and 282 and Properties Relevant to Advanced Nuclear Components

Under the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies program, two Ni-based alloys fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) have been evaluated: γ′-strengthened Haynes 282 and solution-strengthened Inconel 625. Large printing defects were observed in the LPBF 282 alloy fabricated using a Renishaw AM250 machine, likely due to particle spattering during printing. Annealing at 1,180°C for 1 h followed by 4 h at 800°C in a high density of 50 nm γ′-strengthening precipitates as well as partial recrystallization resulted in a bimodal grain distribution. Creep testing performed at 750°C revealed lower creep life and ductility for the LPBF 282 compared with wrought 282. X-ray computed tomography combined with optical and scanning electron microscopy microstructural characterization revealed crack formation during creep testing, initiated either from printing defects or from creep cavitation at grain boundaries. Printing defects were the likely reason for the lower creep performance of LPBF 282 and could be suppressed by optimizing the build configuration. Printing 625 on an EOS M290 machine using the recommended EOS parameters resulted in a very low defect density. Superior creep strength at 725°C was observed for the as-printed LPBF 625 along the build direction when compared with wrought 625. No defect larger than ~50 µm could be detected by X-ray computed tomography in the as-printed conditions and after creep testing for 1,000 h at 725°C and 150 MPa. Small, needle-like δ-phase precipitates were observed after creep testing for 100 h at 725°C and 200 MPa. The rapid formation of the γ phase is directly related to the initial Nb and Mo segregation in the LPBF 625 cell walls, and its effect on the alloy’s high-temperature performance will be evaluated. Solution annealing was carried out at 1,150°C for 1 h and led to full recrystallization of the alloy. A decrease in strength and increase in ductility were observed after solution annealing, and the alloy recrystallization resulted in isotropic tensile properties at room temperature, contrary to what was observed for the as-printed LPBF 625.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗