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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Center for Used Fuel Research: Building confidence in storage and transport
Used nuclear fuel storage and transportation have reached a critical juncture.
Dozens of utilities need reliable data on how used nuclear fuel performs in dry storage casks and canisters to extend regulatory licenses at sites across the United States. Likewise, the Department of Energy expects to take ownership of the used nuclear fuel—termed “spent nuclear fuel” in the laws and regulations governing its stewardship—and transfer it to one or more federal staging facilities for management and disposition.
Meanwhile, dozens of reactor companies are testing prototypes of advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuels. Eventually, regulators and industry must also verify the safety and security of storage methods for these advanced fuel types.
To help address these challenges, the DOE established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) in January 2026 for work related to the long-term storage and transport of used nuclear fuel.
Technical Session|Radioisotope Power Systems
Tuesday, May 7, 2024|10:00–11:40AM MDT|Sweeney A
Session Chair:
Nick R. Wozniak
Alternate Chairs:
Lauren Nelson (LANL)
Session Organizer:
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Modeling Novel Radioisotope Power System Designs
10:00–10:06AM MDT
Rebecca Hoffman (Univ. Dayton Research Institute)
Paper
Lessons Learned: Design of Novel Radioisotope Power Systems
10:06–10:12AM MDT
Matthew Johnson (Univ. Dayton Research Institute)
Attachment
Systems Engineering of Novel Radioisotope Power Systems
10:12–10:18AM MDT
Christopher Venturella (Univ. Dayton Research Institute)
The Validation Testing of Novel Radioisotope Power System Designs
10:18–10:24AM MDT
Kenton Sherick (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Boyd Allen Tolson (Univ. Dayton Research Institute)
Managing Innovative Radioisotope Power System Design Projects
10:24–10:30AM MDT
Jackie Maddox (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Chadwick Barklay (Univ. Dayton Research Institute)
Terrestrial Isotope Activation for Low-Cost Testing of Next Generation Space Radioisotope Power Systems
10:30–10:36AM MDT
Samuel Piper (Atomos Nuclear and Space Corp.), Lucas Beveridge (Atomos Nuclear and Space Corp.)
Harnessing Neptunium Spectral Features to Monitor Valence Change During 238Pu Processing
10:36–10:42AM MDT
Sara E. Gilson (ORNL), Luke R. Sadergaski (ORNL), Hunter B. Andrews (ORNL), Adam J. Parkison (ORNL)
Impurity Analysis Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the Plutonium-238 Supply Program
10:42–10:48AM MDT
Hunter B. Andrews (ORNL), Luke R. Sadergaski (ORNL)
Remote Analysis of Radiochemical Processing Streams with Optical Spectroscopy for the Plutonium-238 Supply Program
10:48–10:54AM MDT
Luke R. Sadergaski (ORNL), Hunter B. Andrews (ORNL), Sara Gilson (ORNL), Laetitia Delmau (ORNL), Tom Hylton (ORNL), Adam Parkison (ORNL)
Plutonium-238: Evolving Production Capabilities and Considerations
10:54–11:00AM MDT
Joe Hough (ORNL), Adam Parkison (ORNL), Joe McVeigh (ORNL), Kristian Myhre (ORNL)
Radiolysis Studies to Support the Storage of Americium Oxide Materials for Radioisotope Power Systems
11:00–11:06AM MDT
Rebecca Sanderson (National Nuclear Laboratory), Mark Sarsfield (National Nuclear Laboratory), Hannah Colledge (National Nuclear Laboratory), Christophe Fongarland (European Space Agency), Steph Barron (European Space Agency)
The New Concept for European Radioisotope Stirling Generator
11:06–11:12AM MDT
Mihails Scepanskis (Deep Space Energy), Janis Priede (Deep Space Energy), Raimonds Nikoluskins (Deep Space Energy)
Aerojet Rocketdyne Small Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Concept Utilizing SiGe Unicouples
11:12–11:18AM MDT
S. Hunter (Aerojet Rocketdyne), L. Gard (Aerojet Rocketdyne)
Plutonium-238 Supply Research, Development, and Demonstration Strategy and Achievements at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
11:18–11:24AM MDT
Kristian Myhre (ORNL), Adam Parkison (ORNL), Joe McVeigh (ORNL), Joe Hough (ORNL)
