Awarded projects help to advance accident tolerant fuels, inform reactor fuel designs, and perform research to sustain the nation’s current light-water reactor fleet.
September 25, 2024
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Recipients gain up to nine months of access to state-of-the-art facilities at no cost
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today awarded 19 Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) user access projects to help advance accident tolerant fuels, inform reactor fuel designs, and perform research to sustain the nation’s current light-water reactor fleet. The awardees will have nine months to complete the experiments using the world-class testing capabilities provided through the Department’s Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) at no cost to the researchers.
Rapid Turnaround Experiment awards facilitate the advancement of nuclear science and technology by providing nuclear energy researchers timely access to testing, computing, and technical expertise.
The selected RTE project research teams include 19 principal investigators (PI) from eight universities and industry, as well as one international PI with a U.S. national laboratory co-PI, 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 apply advanced experimental and computational methods. Key materials being studied include various types of alloys, composite materials, fuels, and sensors that could be promising candidate materials for use in advanced nuclear reactors.
View a complete list of all 19 NSUF selections HERE.
The research capabilities provided to complete this work are equal to approximately $1 million in support.
The 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.
This is the third and final round of fiscal year 2024 RTE awards. The first RTE call for proposals in fiscal year 2025 is anticipated to open on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, and close Thursday, October 31, 2024.
Learn more about current and past RTE awards.
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