Experimental Breeder Reactor I: A retrospectiveANS Nuclear CafeDecember 19, 2019, 5:29PM|Will SearightIn the not-so-distant 20th century past, our planet was in an uncertain new-world order. The second of two major wars had dramatically reshaped the landscape of the world's nations. It was not by any means assured that the extraordinary nuclear process of fission, which itself had been discovered mere years before the second war's end, would be successfully utilized for anything but the tremendous and frightening powers realized in thermonuclear warheads. In the years following, a humble project materializing out of the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho was to challenge that assertion and demonstrate that nuclear fission could indeed be a commercial, peaceful source of electrical power for civilizations around the globe.EBR-I was not the first nuclear reactor in the U.S. to generate electrical power, that was the X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The X-10 was used mostly for plutonium production for weapons, and later after the war for radioisotope production for medical facilities. This reactor, dubbed the Experimental Breeder Reactor number 1 (EBR-I), was successful on December 20, 1951, in producing electrical power sufficient to power four 200 watt lightbulbs, as pictured below.Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=203080EBR-I also has the honor of being the world's first "operating breeder reactor," a reactor which produces more fuel for the fission process that it consumes. The breeding process involves creating Plutonium, which can readily fission, from the most abundant isotope of Uranium, which only fissions with high-energy neutrons via neutron bombardment in the reactor. This was at the center of EBR-I's mission, to validate the concept of a breeder reactor that can both maximize the amount of energy obtained from natural uranium, and to demonstrate the great utility and reliability of electrical energy obtained from nuclear fission. After that historic day of illuminating the test lightbulbs, the power output of EBR-I was increased to 100 kilowatts of electric power, making it able to produce enough electricity for its building. The staff members who were present during the historic achievement when power was first generated wrote their names in chalk on the wall next to the generator, which is now viewable to the public.credit: Argonne National LaboratoryPublic Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ebri_plaques.jpgOn August 26, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson and Dr. Glenn Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, led a ceremony dedicating the retired reactor as a Registered National Historic Landmark. In his speech to the thousands gathered there, President Johnson echoed themes present in President Dwight Eisenhower's famous Atoms for Peace speech in 1954 to the United Nations: "We have come to a place today where hope was born that man would do more with his discovery [of nuclear fission] than unleash destruction in its wake." In 1973, a plan to open EBR-I to the public, and in 1975 summer tours were first offered for the decommissioned facility. To this day, its legacy lives on in the carbon-free electricity generated by reactors around the globe, and in the immortal words of the former INL director John Grossenbacher: "The history of nuclear energy for peaceful application has principally been written in Idaho".Will Searight is a Ph.D. student and graduate research assistant at Penn State, where he studies Plasma-Material Interactions in the Nuclear Thermal Rocket engine. He is involved in Society's Fusion Energy Division (FED), Young Members Group (YMG), Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology Division (ANSTD), ANS Social Media Team, and the YMG Retention Subcommittee.Tags:1966american nuclear societyans young members groupatomic energy commissionatoms for peaceaugust 26careers in nucleardr. glenn seaborgebr-ieisenhowerexperimental breeder reactor number 1framatomeusidahoidaho national laboratoryinlisotopesjohn grossenbachernational reactor testing stationnuclear historynuclear newsoak ridge national labornlplutoniumpresident lyndon johnsonreactorsunited stateswill searightx-10Share:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
INL’s MARVEL could demonstrate remote operation on a micro scaleThe Department of Energy launched a 14-day public review and comment period on January 11 on a draft environmental assessment for a proposal to construct the Microreactor Applications Research Validation & EvaLuation (MARVEL) project microreactor inside Idaho National Laboratory’s Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility.The basics: The MARVEL design is a sodium-potassium–cooled thermal microreactor fueled by uranium zirconium hydride fuel pins using high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU). It would be a 100-kWt reactor capable of generating about 20 kWe using Stirling engines over a core life of about two years.The DOE proposes to install the MARVEL microreactor in a concrete storage pit in the north high bay of the TREAT reactor building. Modifications to the building to accommodate MARVEL are anticipated to take five to seven months. Constructing, assembling, and performing preoperational testing are expected to take another two to three months prior to fuel loading.Go to Article
Baranwal departs Office of Nuclear EnergyBaranwalRita Baranwal, the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy, announced today via Twitter that she will be leaving her position at the end of the day. “It has been an absolute honor to serve in this capacity to help advance our U.S. nuclear energy R&D,” she tweeted. “I plan to continue to use my talents to promote, lead, and advance our nation’s largest source of clean energy so that our nation and my family will have a cleaner and more sustainable planet to protect.”Baranwal previously directed the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative at Idaho National Laboratory. Before joining the DOE, Baranwal served as director of technology development and application at Westinghouse. She is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society.Go to Article
Reclassification of HLW could reduce risks while saving billions, DOE saysAn engineered stainless steel container designed to hold LLW at Hanford. Photo: Bechtel National, Inc.A Department of Energy report to the U.S. Congress shows that the reclassification of high-level radioactive waste could save more than $200 billion in treatment and disposal costs while allowing DOE sites to be cleaned up sooner—all still without jeopardizing public health and safety.The report, Evaluation of Potential Opportunities to Classify Certain Defense Nuclear Waste from Reprocessing as Other than High-Level Radioactive Waste, identifies potential opportunities for the DOE to reduce risk to public and environment while completing its cleanup mission more efficiently and effectively. Those opportunities are based on the DOE’s 2019 interpretation of the statutory term HLW, which classifies waste based on its radiological characteristics rather than its origin.Under the DOE’s interpretation of HLW, waste from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel may be determined to be non-HLW if the waste (1) does not exceed concentration limits for Class C low-level radioactive waste as set out in federal regulations and meets the performance objectives of a disposal facility; or (2) does not require disposal in a deep geologic repository and meets the performance objectives of a disposal facility as demonstrated through a performance assessment conducted in accordance with applicable requirements.Go to Article
DOE issues Versatile Test Reactor draft EIS, confirms INL as its “preferred alternative”The Department of Energy has begun the environmental review of its proposed Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), releasing a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for public review and comment on December 21. The sodium-cooled, fast-neutron-spectrum VTR is intended to enhance and accelerate U.S. research, development, and demonstration of innovative nuclear energy technologies.Go to Article
Happy birthday to the American Nuclear Society!The American Nuclear Society turns 66 today! ANS was founded on December 11, 1954, at the National Academy of Sciences on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.The beginnings: ANS was launched in the mid-1950s, a time of growing interest in employing peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology for bettering the lives of people in the United States and around the world. President Eisenhower had presented his dramatic 1953 "Atoms for Peace" speech to the United Nations, proposing international knowledge-sharing for the development of civilian nuclear science and technology. While a number of associations already had nuclear divisions or groups, many people felt that a new organization was needed. Following its establishment in 1954 as a not-for-profit association of individual members, ANS quickly added breadth and depth to its activities, resulting in an organization that was both influenced by and had an influence on the burgeoning nuclear field.Go to Article
The value of “fluffy” stuffMary Lou Dunzik-GougarYou know the old saying that those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach? Well, I say anyone thinking that way should be kept far away from students!In my time at Argonne National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory, I worked with incredible scientists and engineers doing cutting-edge research. Unfortunately, making progress in research is not always conducive to the education and training of those who haven’t yet gained the necessary expertise. And there is an interesting phenomenon that occurs the more one gains in education and experience: We tend to forget what we were like before, what it was like not to know everything we do now. More than one of my PhD colleagues at the national labs dismissed the education and outreach efforts that I pursued in my spare time: scouts, K-12 classroom visits, teacher workshops, science expos, etc., viewing any focus other than the truly technical as just “fluffy” and a waste of valuable time and effort.Go to Article
Kairos Power test reactor comes to repurposed Oak Ridge siteAn aerial view of the ETTP site. Photo: Heritage Center, LLCKairos Power plans to site a test reactor it has dubbed Hermes at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The company has executed a Memorandum of Understanding with Heritage Center, LLC, to acquire the former K-33 gaseous diffusion plant site at ETTP, subject to ongoing due diligence evaluations. The announcement was made today, during the 2020 East Tennessee Economic Council Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration.“We are thrilled at the prospect of coming to East Tennessee,” said Michael Laufer, cofounder and chief executive officer of Kairos Power. “The infrastructure available at ETTP, combined with its proximity to key collaborators at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, makes this a great location to demonstrate our technology. The successful commissioning of Hermes builds on our current technology development programs and extensive engagement with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Ultimately, Hermes will prove that Kairos Power can deliver real systems at our cost targets to make advanced nuclear a competitive source of clean energy in the United States.”Lou Martinez, vice president of strategy and innovation, added, “Today is an important day for Kairos Power. We are celebrating our 4th anniversary by showcasing an important milestone.”Go to Article
From the ground up: Building a workforce for advanced nuclearINL will need technical, innovative, and safety-minded construction personnel for the advanced nuclear projects ahead. Photo: INLAround the world, researchers in the energy industry are engaging in the work of studying, testing, and developing carbon-free energy solutions. Throughout these circles, many scientists and engineers are embracing the possibilities of advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors and microreactors. While these innovative technologies are poised to address some of the nation’s biggest concerns, they also present their own unique challenges, including the need for a large and talented workforce within the construction industry.Fortunately, the state of Idaho and its key nuclear players are well-equipped for this challenge. In southeastern Idaho, home of Idaho National Laboratory, strong partnerships throughout the region have forged networks between the lab and the educational institutions, employers, trades, and unions that are working to establish this highly specialized nuclear talent pipeline.Go to Article
NuScale module’s hydrogen production numbers updatedAs a result of last month’s power uprate announcement from NuScale Power regarding its small modular reactor—a 25 percent increase to 77 MWe—the company has now announced updated evaluations for the technical feasibility and economics of producing hydrogen using heat and electricity from its SMR, the NuScale Power Module (NPM). Go to Article
ORNL to examine irradiated accident tolerant fuel assembliesAn accident tolerant fuel experiment developed by Global Nuclear Fuel arrives at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for testing. Photo: ORNLGlobal Nuclear Fuel (GNF) has announced that irradiated lead test assemblies of its IronClad and ARMOR accident tolerant fuel (ATF) have been delivered to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for examination. The unfueled IronClad rods and fueled ARMOR rods, the first ATF samples to be installed in a commercial reactor, completed a 24-month fuel cycle at the Hatch nuclear plant near Baxley, Ga., in February and were shipped to ORNL in early November.The test samples, manufactured at GNF’s facility in Wilmington, N.C., are part of an industry-led effort with the Department of Energy to commercialize new fuels that could help boost the performance and economics of U.S. reactors within the decade. Framatome and Westinghouse are also involved in the DOE’s ATF program.According to GNF’s December 3 announcement, ORNL’s examination of the samples will include visual inspections, microscopy, and measurements of the thickness, corrosion, and other mechanical and material properties of the cladding. These data, GNF said, will be used to determine the performance benefits of the materials and support the licensing of new fuel technologies with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.The DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy noted in a December 4 press release that initial visual inspections of the test samples showed no visible signs of flaws or degradation on either of the assemblies.Go to Article