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Better graphite modeling could speed up licensing

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

As part of licensing, reactor vendors must show that the grade of graphite they're using can take the heat -- and the rest of the environment in a nuclear plant. Proving that could now be easier, thanks to a model developed at Idaho National Laboratory.

A growing use for invasive plants

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

While the fight against invasive species can seem at times a losing battle, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory are finding ways to tip the scales. Transforming certain invasive plants into renewable biofuels puts the unwanted plants to good use and reduces the net energy costs of mitigation efforts.

Readying nuclear plants for a new power landscape

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

To find solutions that could help keep power reactors in business, the Light Water Reactor Sustainability team is looking at how nuclear plants can reduce operating costs through innovation in business processes and implementation of new technology.

Turning municipal wastewater into bioenergy

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

A researcher at Idaho National Laboratory has developed a novel way to grow cyanobacteria for bioenergy, while at the same time cleaning up water from wastewater treatment plants.

New breakthroughs in high temperature measurement technology

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

Until recently, it has been impossible to directly measure temperatures inside nuclear reactor cores. Idaho National Laboratory's High-Temperature Irradiation-Resistant Thermocouple (HTIR-TC) solves that problem. It faithfully provides nearly continuous, nearly instantaneous temperature readings from inside the reactor.

Diversifying from dams: Virtual reservoirs can boost flexibility of small-scale hydropower

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

New research from America's national labs shows that smaller scale 'run-of-river' hydropower can provide just as much baseload stability as reservoir-based hydropower plants while being highly responsive to real-time grid and market changes.

Critical materials: Researchers eye huge supply of rare-earth elements from mining waste

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have examined a method to extract rare-earth elements from mining waste that could provide the world with a reliable supply of the valuable materials. The research, led by Idaho National Laboratory and Rutgers University with support from the Critical Materials Institute, is online and in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics.

Journal: The Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics
Funder: Critical Materials Institute

Advanced modeling & simulation: Moose community nears 1,000 users

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

Though INL's computer scientists originally designed MOOSE to model how nuclear fuel performs in a reactor, the open-source software is flexible enough to simulate all kinds of physics problems. The MOOSE platform has spawned more than 40 applications (all named after animals native to Idaho) to model everything from nuclear fuel to the movement of fluids through shale to electromagnetic wave propagation.

Fusion research at INL's STAR lab

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

Understanding the behavior of tritium -- a radioactive version of the smallest element, hydrogen -- will be essential to harnessing fusion, the Holy Grail for nuclear researchers ever since scientists formed their first insights into the physics of the sun. At INL's Advanced Test Reactor Complex, a small team operates an experimental lab called Safety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) to lead research into tritium safety.

Treated superalloys demonstrate unprecedented heat resistance

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered how to make 'superalloys' even more super, extending useful life by thousands of hours. The discovery could improve materials performance for electrical generators and nuclear reactors.

Journal: Science Advances

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