Better graphite modeling could speed up licensing
Graphite used in nuclear power plans must show that it can withstand the environment of a plant. Proving that could now be easier, thanks to an INL model.
Idaho National Laboratory awards funding to universities for Versatile Test Reactor projects
INL has awarded $1.7 million of funding to universities to develop research projects for usage and application using the future Versatile Test Reactor.
Readying nuclear plants for a new power landscape
The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program helps the nuclear power industry develop solutions to the rising threats of energy demands.
Commercial advanced nuclear fuel arrives in Idaho for testing
For the first time in two decades, Idaho National Laboratory, the nation’s nuclear energy laboratory, has received a shipment of used next-generation light water reactor fuel from a commercial nuclear power plant to support research and testing. In December, INL received 25 experimental fuel rods irradiated in the reactor core of a commercial reactor. The […]
Tracking radioactive source recovery: New Cesium Irradiator Replacement Project Dashboard
People often think of radiation as the basis for carbon-free nuclear power. But radiation can also save lives. That’s especially true in hospitals where professionals use nuclear medicine to make diagnoses, treat medical conditions and sterilize equipment. One such medical treatment includes radioisotopes in irradiators used to treat donated blood to prevent graft-versus-host disease. The […]
Commercial shipment marks big step for safer, more efficient nuclear fuels
After two decades, laboratory reopens for spent fuel testing On a chilly December evening in eastern Idaho, a semi-tractor trailer truck pulls off the desert highway and up to the gate at the Department of Energy’s Materials and Fuels Complex. The truck and the small, gray shipping container that sits on its trailer appear unremarkable. […]
Nuclear energy experts train researchers to meet future nonproliferation challenges
As nuclear energy is increasingly recognized as a vital component of the clean energy transition, American companies have answered the call with dozens of new reactor and fuel designs. But the nation’s nuclear energy industry is facing a decline in skilled workers to build and operate these technologies. Without action, the U.S. stands to lose […]
An international resurgence of female representation in nuclear
Women played an instrumental role in shaping the field of nuclear science. Nobel Prize-winner Marie Curie was part of a team that discovered radioactivity. Katharine Way, a leading scientist on the Manhattan Project, analyzed and interpreted foundational nuclear data. Physicist Chien-Shiung Wu tested and disproved a widely accepted atomic science theory. Despite these historical contributions, […]
Idaho National Laboratory prepares to operate its first new reactors in 50 years
In 1951, the desert of eastern Idaho hosted Experimental Breeder Reactor-I, the first nuclear reactor to generate a usable amount of electricity. Four years later, researchers followed that success with BORAX-III, the first reactor to power an American city. The next two decades saw a flurry of research and development at that desert site — […]
Diverse collaborations expand employees’ professional development
For 75 years, Idaho National Laboratory has been at the forefront of nuclear energy and technology research. This research includes the nuclear fuel cycle, a multistep process that covers the entire life cycle of nuclear fuel, from mining uranium for use in a reactor to the safe management and disposal of spent, or used, fuel. […]
