The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded 23 Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) projects that support the deployment of advanced reactors, fuel cycle development and the continued operation of the nation’s existing nuclear reactor fleet.
The user awards advance President Trump’s efforts to re-establish the United States as a global leader in nuclear energy and support Executive Order 14302, Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base, to increase access to research infrastructure and expertise at DOE’s national laboratories.
Rapid Turnaround Experiment awards facilitate the advancement of nuclear science and technology by providing nuclear energy researchers timely access to irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination and technical expertise provided through the Department’s Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) at no cost to the researchers.
The selected RTE project research teams will have up to nine months to complete their experiments and include 23 principal investigators from 12 universities, three national laboratories, and two advanced reactor companies, who will work with the NSUF on their proposed experiments. The competitively selected projects encompass a range of nuclear fuels and materials research that will advance next-generation nuclear technologies. Key materials being studied include advanced metallic fuels, silicon carbide, molten salts, structural steels, fiber optics, and additively manufactured sensors that could be promising candidate materials for use in advanced nuclear reactors.
The research capabilities provided to complete this work are equal to approximately $1.4 million in support.
NSUF advances the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy’s mission through a consortium of state-of-the-art irradiation and post-irradiation testing facilities that can be utilized in support of nuclear energy research and development. Each facility brings exceptional capabilities and expert mentors to the projects.
