The US Department of Energy (DOE) on 10 September announced funding selectees for multiple domestic advanced nuclear technology projects totalling roughly $15 million in funding. The projects are cost-shared and “will allow industry-led teams, including participants from federal agencies, public and private laboratories, institutions of higher education, and other domestic entities, to advance the state of US commercial nuclear capability,” DOE said.
This is the sixth round of funding through the Office of Nuclear Energy’s funding opportunity announcement (FOA) US Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development. The first group was announced in April 2018, the second in July 2018, the third in November 2018, the fourth in March 2019, and the fifth in May 2019. Initial and subsequent phase awards arising from these six rounds totals about $195 million of US government funds. Subsequent quarterly application review and selection processes will be carried out over the next three years.
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said several US companies are working on technologies to make the next generation of nuclear reactors highly competitive, and that private-public partnerships will be key to successfully developing innovative domestic nuclear technologies.
The solicitation is broken into three funding pathways:
- First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project pathway, intended to address major advanced reactor design development projects or complex technology advancements for existing plants which have significant technical and licensing risk and have the potential to be deployed by the mid-to-late 2020s.
- Advanced Reactor Development Projects pathway, which allows a broad scope of proposed concepts and ideas that are best suited to improving the capabilities and commercialisation potential of advanced reactor designs and technologies.
- Regulatory Assistance Grants pathway, which provide direct support for resolving design regulatory issues, regulatory review of licensing topical reports or papers, and other efforts focused on obtaining certification and licensing approvals for advanced reactor designs and capabilities.
Two projects were selected under the Advanced Reactor Development Projects pathway:
- LWR Integrated Energy Systems Interface Technology Development & Demonstration has DOE funding of $9,184,229 and non-DOE funding of $2,299,391. Under this proposal, FirstEnergy Solutions Corporation will develop a light water reactor hybrid energy systems. The proposed project installs an electrolysis (LTE) unit at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant. Major interfaces required for LWR hybrid operations (e.g. dynamic controls to apportion power output between the electrical grid and LTE unit) are addressed. A final report describing outcomes and business case opportunities will be shared with partners and third parties interested in LWR hybrid energy systems.
- Application of Machine Learning for Enhanced Diagnostic and Prognostic Capabilities of Nuclear Power Plant Assets has DOE funding of $5,476,400 and non-DOE funding of $1,520,000. Under this proposal, Blue Wave Capital and Consulting, DBA Blue Wave AI Labs will develop and provide machine learning solutions to improve and extend diagnostic and prognostic capabilities for predictive maintenance in nuclear plants. These solutions will integrate vast amounts of structured and unstructured historical data from some 15 boiling water reactors (BWRs), collected over multiple fuel cycles, in order to capture the complete operational and dynamic environment of plant components.
One project was selected under the Regulatory Assistance Grant pathway:
- Advanced Fuel Qualification Methodology Report for TerraPower Travelling Wave Reactor (TWR) has DOE funding of $492,137 and non-DOE funding of $492,138. The TerraPower proposed project is to develop an advanced fuel qualification methodology report for TWR fuel and to deliver the report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for review and approval. The report will be developed for a metal-fuelled sodium fast reactor. However, the processes and methodologies described will be generally applicable to other fuel types thereby helping the US industry to address fuel qualification.
Funds for fusion
On 28 August, DOE announced it will provide $50 million to US universities, private industry and national laboratories for a range of research projects in fusion energy and plasma science to “ensure that America continues to lead in these critical fields”.
A total of $30 million will go to ten US multi-institutional research teams to support fusion energy research at international facilities. This is for projects lasting up to three years in duration, with $12 million in FY 2019 dollars and outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. A total of $20.2 million will fund new centres and facilities supporting research on low-temperature plasmas in FY 2019 dollars for projects lasting five years in duration.
Awards were selected based on competitive peer review under two separate FOAs (and companion announcements for DOE laboratories) titled “Collaborative Research in Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences on International Tokamaks,” and “Low Temperature Plasma Science Centers and Facilities".
