Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD)
The Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program is a vital resource for Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to achieve our mission to discover, demonstrate, and secure innovative nuclear energy solutions, clean-energy options, and critical infrastructure. Our LDRD investments stimulate high-impact research, sustain and amplify INL’s core capabilities, and recruit and retain world-class science and technology (S&T) talent for INL and the nation.
Benefits of LDRD
The LDRD program proves its benefit each year through new programs, intellectual property, patents, copyrights, national and international awards and publications. It also provides a means to feed the pipeline with scientists and engineers through undergraduate and graduate internships, postdoctoral assignments and internal PhD candidates.
LDRD Success Story
Existing experimental data on metallic fuel coupled with computational science elucidated the mechanism of the porous structure formation at the top of fuel pins.
INL researchers analyzed the formation and characteristics of an unknown porous microstructure found at the top of metallic fuel pins. This “fluff” could influence reactivity during reactor operation or unexpected transients. They found that fluff operating temperature, fuel composition, and burnup influence fluff formation for uranium containing 10% weight of zirconium. An automated image analysis technique developed for this project provided the most comprehensive statistical study of fluff to date and validated the results obtained manually. Furthermore, BISON modeling and simulation applied in this study suggested a possible mechanism for fluff formation.
Check out these publications for more information.
- J Fay, F. Di Lemma, A. Gribok, K. Paaren, P. Medvedev, L. Capriotti, D. Porter, J. Lian, “An analysis of fluff formation in metallic fuel via data analyzes from EBR-II experiments and BISON fuel code modeling,” Journal of Nuclear Materials, Volume 567, 2022, 153813.
- Dong Zhao, Michael T. Benson, Kun Yang, Yonglin Huang, Fidelma G. Di Lemma, Bowen Gong, Fudong Han, Jie Lian, “Grain growth kinetics of the gamma phase metallic uranium,” Journal of Nuclear Materials, Volume 574, 2023, 154185.
- Dong Zhao, Michael T Benson, Tiankai Yao, Kun Yang, Fidelma G Di Lemma, Bowen Gong, Jie Lian, “Manufacturing porous U10Zr fuels with controlled porosities by SPS and thermal properties,” Journal of Nuclear Materials, Volume 574, 2023, 154208.
Collaboration
INL’s LDRD program encourages collaboration across organizational, institutional, and geographical boundaries to advance the frontiers of science, technology, and engineering. Of the 407 researchers working on LDRD projects in fiscal year 2023, 106 of them were outside INL and represented 27 states and Canada. These external collaborators included 93 researchers from 39 universities, six researchers from national laboratories, and seven researchers from different companies.
The Center for Advanced Energy Studies and the National University Consortium facilitate collaboration with particular research universities to further INL’s mission. The Center for Advanced Energy Studies is research and education consortium consisting of INL and the public research universities of Idaho: Boise State University, Idaho State University and University of Idaho. The National University Consortium includes the partner universities Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, Oregon State University and University of New Mexico. Thirty-four researchers from the consortia were co-investigators on LDRD projects in the fiscal year 2023, and many more students and postdocs.
Collaboration
INL’s LDRD program encourages collaboration across organizational, institutional, and geographical boundaries to advance the frontiers of science, technology, and engineering. Of the 407 researchers working on LDRD projects in fiscal year 2023, 106 of them were outside INL and represented 27 states and Canada. These external collaborators included 93 researchers from 39 universities, six researchers from national laboratories, and seven researchers from different companies.
The Center for Advanced Energy Studies and the National University Consortium facilitate collaboration with particular research universities to further INL’s mission. The Center for Advanced Energy Studies is research and education consortium consisting of INL and the public research universities of Idaho: Boise State University, Idaho State University and University of Idaho. The National University Consortium includes the partner universities Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, Oregon State University and University of New Mexico. Thirty-four researchers from the consortia were co-investigators on LDRD projects in the fiscal year 2023, and many more students and postdocs.
Publications
Showcasing Success
On August 24, 2023, INL hosted a poster session and symposium showcasing the LDRD projects ending in fiscal year 2023. Attendees included INL researchers, industry and academic partners, external collaborators, and members of the public. Images of the posters are available on INL.gov.
Secure and Resilient Machine Learning System for Detecting Fifthgeneration Attacks including Zero-Day Attacks
The Process
The laboratory ensures that LDRD program goals and objectives are aligned with DOE Order 413.2C, Chg. 1, and that the LDRD portfolio is managed with integrity and transparency. All LDRD projects go through a rigorous proposal review and selection process, and ongoing projects applying for renewal are contingent on a progress report review. These steps ensure that LDRD investments are continually aligned with INL’s vision, mission, and S&T initiatives, and are technically sound, innovative, cutting-edge RD&D projects that comply with the LDRD Order. New project proposals and ongoing project progress reports are subject to multiple levels of review (by management, technical reviewers, and a strategic review committee).
Lab leadership establishes review committees for each focus area and for seed proposals. These committees review new project proposals and ongoing project progress reports and make funding recommendations. Committees are staffed by senior and midcareer researchers and technical managers who are subject matter experts without any conflict of interest with the proposed projects. The deputy lab director for S&T reviews the committees’ recommendations with the associate laboratory directors and makes final funding decisions on the LDRD portfolio. DOE’s Idaho Operations Office concurs on each proposed and continuing project prior to project authorization.
