PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW --
NUCLEAR ENERGY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Continued use of nuclear power is an important part
of the Department's strategy to provide for the Nation's energy security, as
well as to be responsible stewards of the environment.
Nuclear energy research currently provides over 20 percent of the U.S.
electricity generation and will continue to provide a significant portion of
U.S. electrical energy production for many years to come.
Also, nuclear power in the U.S. makes a significant contribution to
lowering the emission of gases associated with global climate change and air
pollution.
The Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology
(NE) enables the Department of Energy to provide the technical leadership
necessary to address critical domestic and international nuclear issues by
administering research and development and technical assistance in the
following general areas: (1) the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI)
Program addresses key issues affecting the future of nuclear energy in order
to preserve U.S. nuclear science and technology leadership, (2) the
Radioisotope Power Systems Program develops new
state-of-the-art radioisotope power systems to support the
NASA space missions and terrestrial applications for other agencies, (3) the
Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization (NEPO) Program conducts research to assure
the continued safe and reliable operations of over 100 of the Nation's nuclear
power plants, (4) the University Reactor Fuel and Educational Assistance
Program is designed to help retain the U.S. nuclear engineering capability for
conducting nuclear research, addressing pressing nuclear environmental
challenges, and preserving the nuclear energy option, and (5) the Isotope
Production Program produces and sells hundreds of stable and radioactive
isotopes that are widely used by domestic and international customers for
medicine, industry and research applications.
Nuclear power provides over 20 percent of the U.S.
electricity supply without emitting harmful air pollutants, including those
that may cause adverse global climate changes.
New methods and technologies are needed to address key issues that
affect the future deployment of nuclear energy and to preserve the U.S.
leadership in nuclear technology and engineering. This topic addresses several of these key technology areas:
improvements in nuclear reactor technology, computer simulation and modeling
applications, and advanced thermoelectric conversion devices and materials for
improved radioisotope power systems.
Grant applications are sought only in the following subtopic:
a. New Technology for
Improved Nuclear Energy Systems—Improvements and advances are needed for reactor systems and component
technologies that ultimately would be used in the design, construction, or
operation of existing and future nuclear power plants and Generation IV
nuclear power systems [See
References 1-5]. Grant
applications are sought: (1) to improve and optimize nuclear power plant,
systems, and component instrumentation
and control, by developing and improving the reliability of advanced
instrumentation, sensors, controls, and more accurate measurement of key
reactor and plant parameters; (2) to improve monitoring of plant equipment
performance and aging, using improved diagnostic techniques for in-service and
non-destructive examinations; and (3) for advanced reactor/core computer
simulation methods including advanced reactor design model code development;
coupled/parallel thermal-hydraulic-reactor physics tools; safety and
performance evaluation methods; and engineering calculations for new and
existing nuclear reactors, major reactor components, and reactor core and fuel
assemblies. Please note that the
following areas of investigation are not of interest and will be declined:
concepts for complete or partial reactor plant designs; generalized
thermal-hydraulics analysis (e.g. CFD or two-fluid codes) and probabilistic
risk assessment tools or methods; and NRC licensing and site permit issues.
In addition, grant applications that deal with nuclear materials,
chemistry, and/or corrosion research are also not of interest for this topic
and should be submitted instead under Topic 13.
1.
What’s News, U.S. DOE, Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, http://www.nuclear.gov
2.
Moving
Forward: Generation IV Nuclear
Energy Systems, Office
of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, http://gen-iv.ne.doe.gov/
3.
Nuclear
Energy Research Initiative (NERI)
Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, http://neri.ne.doe.gov
4.
Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization Program (NEPO), Office
of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, http://nepo.ne.doe.gov/
5.
Recommendations from the DOE Instrumentation, Controls and
Human-Machine Interface (IC & HMI) Technology Workshop (May 15-17, 2002),
IC&HMI Report. (Available on
the Web at:
http://www.nuclear.gov)