Nuclear power currently provides a significant fraction of non-carbon-emitting power generation in the United States. In future years, nuclear power must continue to generate a significant portion of the nation’s electricity to meet growing electricity demand and clean energy goals, and to ensure energy independence. New reactors will be an essential part of nuclear power expansion, given the limits on new builds imposed by economics and industrial capacity, but the existing fleet must also be managed for extended service. Ensuring public safety and environmental protection is a prerequisite to all nuclear power plant operating and licensing decisions at all stages of reactor life. <br/><br/>In the coming years and decades, the US must resolve several key nuclear issues to maintain, enhance and grow the clean-energy generation capacity from nuclear reactors. The existing fleet of power reactors will benefit from increased safety margins through utilization of advanced computational tools to enable prediction of component aging. These same tools will help resolve key issues around extended reactor operation and help provide more advanced materials for greater reliability. In addition, the problems associated with long-term interim storage of used fuel must be resolved. As more of the existing reactor fleet faces the end of service, a final fuel disposition policy will be required and that will rely on solid understanding of the aging fuel system. Finally, it is imperative to develop and qualify advanced reactor fuels that can withstand accident conditions to improve public safety. New fuel forms will also be required to support other missions including closing the fuel cycle, reliable and safe electricity generation, and the potential development of supplying process heat.<br/> <br/>These are complicated issues that will require dedicated research over the coming years. Modern materials and chemical science techniques must be employed to gain new understanding efficiently and cost effectively. This presentation will focus on the application of integrated modern techniques (theory, modeling and simulation, and advanced characterization) to these key issues for the future of nuclear energy in the United States and around the world.

Modern materials and chemical science: Enabling nuclear power into the future

251st National Meeting (2016)

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