Technology maturation from basic concept through plant commissioning is widely conceived as a linear process through a series of �gates� from one �technology readiness level� to another. Introduced by NASA, this formalism has been useful in tracking the actual readiness of a new technology, minimizing technology risk. On the other hand, is such a compartmentalized process an effective model for managing R&D itself? What is the role of research, and should it be phased out? In this light, the development of chemistry for extraction of cesium from the 90 Mgal of alkaline high-level tank wastes in the US Department of Energy (USDOE) complex will be examined in this presentation. The course of technology maturation through implementation in 2014 at the USDOE Savannah River Site will have taken two decades. Research has continued, resulting both in greater confidence in the original process and in a next-generation process with dramatically higher efficiency.

Your work is finished, thank you:  Should research cease as a technology matures?

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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