Department of Nuclear Engineering RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS - STRATEGIC VISION

1. Department of Nuclear Engineering RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS - STRATEGIC VISION Jasmina Vujic Professor and Chair May 16, 2006 North American Young Generation in Nuclear Annual Workshop

3. NE DEPARTMENT HISTORY Established in 1959 by Prof. Thomas Pigford (suggestion came from Glean Seaborg and Edward Teller) 1959 - 1964, Prof. Pigford served as the first Chairman of the NE Department (he has two more terms as Department Chair: 1974-1979, and 1984-1988) Former Department Chairs: Prof. Hans Mark (1964-69), Prof. Lawrence Grossman (1969-74), Prof. Don Olander (1980-84), Prof. T. Kenneth Fowler (1988-94), Prof. William Kastenberg (1995-2000), and Prof. Per Peterson (2000-2005) Current Chair: Prof. Jasmina Vujic (2005- )

4. U.C. Berkeley Dept. of Nuclear Engineering 1967 TRIGA Mark III pool-type reactor

5. Vacuum Hydraulics Experiment (VHEX) 2005 Fusion energy chamber research at UC Berkeley

6. Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley (the only NE program in the UC system) UCB Nuclear Engineering Faculty: Joonhong Ahn (radioactive waste management) Ehud Greenspan (fission and fusion advanced reactor design) Bruce Hasegawa (medical imaging instrumentation; computed tomography; nuclear medicine; small animal imaging) Daniel Kammen (renewable energy, technology/energy policy) William Kastenberg (risk assessment, risk management, reactor design) Ka-Ngo Leung (plasma source and ion beam development) Ed Morse (applied plasma physics: fusion technology: microwaves) Donald Olander (nuclear fuels and materials) Per Peterson (heat transfer, fluid mechanics, inertial fusion) Stan Prussin (nuclear chemistry, bionuclear engineering) John P. Verboncoeur (computational plasma physics) Jasmina Vujic (neutronics, nuclear reactor core analysis and design, bionuclear applications) Brian Wirth (Radiation damage in structural metals and alloys; computational materials science)

7. NE DEPARTMENT RESEARCH AREAS Applied Nuclear Physics Bionuclear and Radiological Physics Energy Systems and the Environment Ethics and the Impact of Technology on Society Fission Reactor Analysis Fuel Cycles and Radioactive waste Fusion Science and Technology Laser, Particle Beam, and Plasma Technologies Nuclear Materials and Chemistry Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics Risk, Safety, and Large-Scale Systems Analysis

9. The next decade holds promise for finding solutions of major, grand-challenge problems

10. Workshops for High School Science Teachers The workshops are hosted by the NE department and sponsored by the Northern California Chapter of the Health Physics Society and the Northern California Section of the American Nuclear Society. Its goals, are to enhance the teachers� understanding and provide them with hands-on activities for their classrooms. Each teacher received a Geiger counter. One day, six hour workshop has been organized for last 6 years with over 150 high school science teachers attending. Visits to LBNL and LLNL are also provided!

11. Workshops for High School Science Teachers Science teachers from California high schools learn how to use Geiger counters by measuring radiation from different objects. �It was definitely worthwhile,� concluded one participant from St. Francis High School in Mountain View.

12. Unified Efforts for Nuclear Energy Futures WHO: Government, national laboratories, industry, universities, public HOW: Need to coordinate efforts, establish centers of excellence strategically placed across the country, close to national laboratories and universities Flexibility in Collaboration: sharing expertise, researchers, experimental facilities, computing resources, graduate students Flexibility in assembling multidisciplinary teams for short- and long-term team work

13. Center for Innovative Nuclear Science and Technology (West Coast) Multi-disciplinary multi-institutional collaboration: UCB, LBNL, LLNL, LANL, industry (?) Global Nuclear Energy Partnership/National Security: Energy independence and security National security and non-proliferation Basic nuclear science (nuclear physics and chemistry, improvement of nuclear data, determination of precise actinide cross sections) Advanced nuclear reactor systems design and analysis New materials development for extreme environments Advanced fuel cycle research with impact on repository design and performance (focus on ONE repository) High performance computing and modeling for nuclear applications Safety assessment and licensing procedures for future passively safe NPPs Safeguards, Security, Regulations Flexibility in Collaboration Sharing expertise, experimental facilities, computing resources, researchers Educational emphasis - educating new generation of researchers

14. Long-term Strategic Research Areas Advanced Reactor Design, Large Systems Analysis, Simulation Methods Development, Safety and Risk Assessment Nuclear Materials, Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Repository Performance and Design Nuclear Chemistry and Applied Nuclear Physics, Radiation Detection, Issues Related to National Security

15. POSSIBLE COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS Design of an ENHS demonstration plant Design of a LS-VHTR pilot plant System analysis of the �ultimate� sustainable nuclear energy system consisting of Generation-IV fuel-self-sufficient reactors and non-chemical fission products separation process that cannot partition Pu or other TRU Unbiased comprehensive comparison of Na, Pb alloy and Liquid Salt coolants for the �ultimate� fuel-self-sufficient� reactors Assessment of feasibility of physical separation of fission products, making it impossible to partition Pu (e.g., AIROX or Archimedes Technologies process) Assess feasibility of hydride fuel for LWR (SCWR) Development of a very compact, ever-safe critical reactor for national security and other applications Development of multi-dimensional intelligent nuclear design optimization methods.

16. SELECTED RESEARCH PROJECTS (CURRENT)

17. DOE adopted ENHS type reactors as one of 6 types of GEN-IV reactors

18. Fuel-self-sufficient core

19. Nearly constant core power shape

22. NE RESEARCH FUTURE DIRECTIONS

23. Reactor Design and Fuel Cycle Analysis Development of sustainable, proliferation-resistant nuclear energy system Based on passively safe GEN-IV reactors Close of the nuclear fuel cycle in an economical and proliferation-resistant way Eliminate need for HLW repositories other than YMR Offer developing countries nuclear energy with energy security and proliferation resistance Development of high-temperature nuclear reactors for Generation of hydrogen High energy conversion efficiency and improved economics Development of improved computational capability: Multi-dimensional coupled neutronics � thermal hydraulics core design codes Intelligent multi-dimensional nuclear design optimization methods and codes Coupled Large Systems Analysis - advanced fuel cycle/reactor/repository

24. Thermal Hydraulics Shift toward Generation IV technologies (ESBWR and AP-1000 represent fully mature, water-cooled reactors) Key long-term strategic directions for fission energy: Low-pressure containment/confinement structures Gas-cooled reactors--vented confinements Low volatility coolants-- liquid salts, liquid metals Long thermal time constant for reactor core heat up Large thermal inertia from fuel and coolant Large temperature margins to fuel damage Elimination of complex and expensive active safety equipment Highly efficient, high power density energy conversion High coolant temperatures Compact closed gas cycles Direct thermo-chemical production of hydrogen Flexibility to evolve rapidly Risk-informed licensing Flexibility to evolve to begin full recycle of actinides Future U.S. activity in Fusion Technology is currently not predictable

25. Risk, Safety and Systems Analysis Development of licensing bases for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems. Very large scale system optimization methods for integrated nuclear energy systems (sustainability, economics, safety and security/non-proliferation). Risk analysis methods for reactors with inherently safe features. Integration of fuel cycle analysis with reactor safety, economics and nonproliferation potential. Development of deterministic models and the acquisition of experimental data for understanding severe accidents in NPRs Experimental support and testing programs.

26. Nuclear Materials and Chemistry, Fuel Cycle Push towards higher operating temperatures in Gen IV fission and fusion reactor designs place an increasing emphasis on advanced materials with improved high temperature mechanical properties, including irradiation creep and fatigue behavior in structural materials (piping, pressure vessels, cladding, heat exchangers, �). Fusion environment, along with radioactive alpha decay in nuclear fuels and national security stockpile materials, place an increasing emphasis on understanding the damaging effects of helium on materials performance and long-term (geologic repository) aging behavior. The use of alternate coolants demands improved knowledge and qualification of corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking behavior of current and advanced materials. High-temperature gas cooled reactor (NGNP) requires qualification and determination of design limits for a new generation of nuclear-grade graphite core material and high-temperature, large volume pressure vessel.

29. Nuclear Chemistry, Applied Nuclear Physics, Radiation Detection The low-energy nuclear physics and interaction of radiation with matter important to nuclear chemistry, nuclear technology and applications. Fundamental nuclear physics measurements for applied purposes and the development of advanced detectors and methodologies, in addition to the application of nuclear techniques in a wide range of studies. Design of methodologies and detection systems to counter the possible transport of special nuclear materials (national security issues) and for applications in the biomedical and radiological sciences.