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Opportunities fromScience and Technology
Nuclear Energy
James A. Lake, Ph.D.
Associate Laboratory DirectorNuclear Programs
January 26-27, 2006
Washington, DC
National Council for Science and the Environment
6th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the
Environment
Energy for a Sustainable and Secure Future
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The Pressing Challenge for NuclearEnergy Today
Create a Technically Achievable, EconomicallyViable, Politically
Palatable, and EnvironmentallyAcceptable Nuclear Energy Option for
theUnited States That Deserves and Earns Public
Confidence and Trust.
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U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Fleet IsOperating More Safely and
Productively Than Ever Before 103 Operating Plants - 34 BWRs, 69
PWRs 99.6 GWe Installed Capacity - 789 Billion Kwh in 2004, 20%
of
electricity production
Industry Capacity Factor 91%. Nuclear Electricity Production
Increased by 23% Over Last Decade. Safety Performance Shows
Continuous Improvement. In Past
Decade, Forced Outage Rate Reduced by Factor of 5, andFrequency
of Significant Events Reduced by Factor of 10.
Most Plants Are Seeking Life Extensions/licenseRenewals
39 License Extensions Granted 10 License Extension Applications
Pendin
g
29 Additional Applications Expected in NextFive Years
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Energy Policy Act of 2005
Substantial Stimulus forConstruction of New NuclearPower Plants
to Meet GrowingElectricity Demands.
Funding Authorization forNuclear Energy R&D
Authorization for Developmentand Demonstration of
Next-Generation Nuclear Power
Systems for Electricity andHydrogen Production.
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Next Generation Nuclear PowerTechnology Goals Generation IV
Program Goals Are Aimed at Developing Advanced
Nuclear Systems That Are Deployable by 2030 or Earlier And:
- Have Adequate Fuel Resources and Reserves for Many Years
and a Sustainable Fuel Cycle
- Are Economically Competitive With Other Energy
Alternatives
- Are Even Safer and More Reliable Than Current Technology
- Are Exceptionally Proliferation Resistant and Have
AdditionalProtection Against External Threats
2000-2003GIF
March 2003
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Focus of Very High TemperatureReactor R&D
Fuels: Fuel Fabrication, Fuel Performance Modeling,Irradiation
Testing, Fission Product Formation andTransport
Graphite and High Temperature Materials Qualification
Analytical Methods Development and Validation:Reactor Physics,
Heat Transfer and Thermal Fluids,Structural Modeling and
Simulation, Nuclear Data
Power Conversion Components: Intermediate Heat
Exchanger, Turbine-compressor Hydrogen Production
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High Temperature Reactor FuelDevelopment Research Fabrication of
Fuel Kernels
for High Temperature andHigh Burnup Applications
Irradiation Testing, Post
Irradiation Examination,and Safety PerformanceTesting of
Fabricated Fuels
Fission Product Source
Term under AccidentConditions
Fuel Performance Modeling
UCO TRISO coated fuel
irradiated to ~78% burnup
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High Temperature MaterialsDevelopment and Qualification
Research Graphite
Qualification
Alloy 617, and Other
High TemperatureAlloys, for theIntermediate HeatExchanger
Composite (C/C and
SiC/SiC)Development forCore Internals
Bi-axially Braided Tube
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Design and Safety AnalysisMethods Development and
Validation Nuclear Data
Reactor Physics
Heat Transfer and ThermalFluids
High TemperatureStructural Analysis
System Simulation andModeling
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High Temperature HydrogenProduction Research
High Temperature Electrolysis
Thermochemical Cycles
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Nuclear Energy Has an Opportunity to Contributeto a More Secure
and Prosperous Tomorrow
