Fission funding

Two

projects to study advanced materials and fuel forms for both current and future nuclear reactors recently received funding of approximately $1 million under the

(NERI).

The NERI program supports research and development under three Department of Energy nuclear initiatives, namely generation IV nuclear energy systems, advanced fuel cycles, and nuclear hydrogen.

In one three-year project, UW-Madison nuclear engineers will study the resistance of oxide, carbide and nitride nuclear fuel “matrix” materials - the vessels that contain nuclear fuel - to radiation damage. A second project will exploit recent advances in computational power and technique to develop computer models of how a reactor's structural materials behave as a result of long-term radiation exposure.

The projects were among 24 selected for total funding of $12 million; UW-Madison is among five universities to receive funding for multiple projects.

Matrix materials are a key element of future fast-spectrum reactors, which are capable of recycling spent nuclear fuel. The nuclear fission process produces high-energy radioactive neutrons, called “fast” because of their great energy. Current thermal reactors use a moderator to reduce the neutrons' velocity, making them capable of sustaining the nuclear fission reaction using simpler fuel.