DOE funds nuclear energy research

Posted: 

The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (NRL) will receive more than $750,000 of U.S. Department of Energy funding to advance critical research.

A $230,000 grant will allow the lab to replace the existing reactor control-rod drive mechanism system to improve operational reliability and safety. The modernization will maximize the long-term availability of the reactor, a Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) partner facility, for serving the education and research missions of both the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and Ohio State.

NRL researchers also will collaborate on two NSUF awards led by other institutions. Nuclear Engineering Faculty Emeritus Tom Blue is a co-investigator on an NSUF project led by Idaho National Laboratory, "High Fluence Active Irradiation and Combined Effects Testing of Sapphire Optical Fiber Distributed Temperature Sensors." Ohio State will receive $163,000 to perform components of this research. And nearly $365,000 will support Ohio State's role in a University of Michigan-led NSUF project, "Irradiation of Optical Components of In-Situ Laser Spectroscopic Sensors for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Systems." 

NRL Director and Professor Raymond Cao is the NSUF Technical Lead on both projects. 

Ohio State's NRL stands out among the research reactors in the country. “Our unique capability for near-core sensors and sensor materials irradiation under high temperature was validated by the researchers who chose to bring their research here,” said Cao. “The NRL is an important facility in nuclear research and we are continuing to expand our reach and impact in the field.”

As two of only three awarded projects in the Joint Research and Development with NSUF Access category, these projects will investigate important sensor material for reactor applications.

Categories: FacultyResearch