On time, under budget: INL projects demonstrate ability to deliver on big nuclear jobs
Since its days as the National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has focused on proving that what people think can’t be done is in fact possible. In the past decade, the lab has repeatedly demonstrated to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the nuclear industry that it can complete large, complicated nuclear […]
INL hosts forensics training for Ukraine to deter nuclear threats
It’s a long way from the Donbas region of Ukraine to Idaho, but Ukrainian officials recently made the trip to learn about collecting evidence after a nuclear attack. Ten soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 10 members from the Security Services of Ukraine spent a week at Idaho National Laboratory learning and practicing […]
New eyes on nuclear: Technology industry reps, investment bankers visit INL to learn about financing opportunities, risks
The future promises big advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, and corporate America is once again eyeing nuclear energy. The interest reflects a growing awareness on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley that nuclear could be the best way to get consistent, carbon-free electricity to energy-hungry data centers. Representatives from such multibillion-dollar companies as […]
States moving toward advanced nuclear with boost from Idaho National Laboratory
Eight states are developing economic development plans focused on advanced nuclear energy deployment with the help from Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Frontiers Initiative. Frontiers was established in 2021 to help stakeholders identify and capitalize on key economic opportunities afforded by early adoption of advanced nuclear energy. The initiative also helps stakeholders leverage advanced nuclear to […]
INL hosts national event for Nuclear Science Week
Students invited to explore STEM at Family Nuclear Science Night As Idaho National Laboratory celebrates its 75th anniversary, the laboratory is partnering with the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History to host the national event for Nuclear Science Week, a weeklong celebration of how nuclear science improves our lives. INL invites local students and […]
Programming for cost efficiency: An intern’s innovation in nuclear automation
The potential for remote operation and autonomous control, which could improve operational efficiency and reduce risk, is a major selling point for some advanced nuclear technologies. Take microreactors, for example. These small nuclear reactors are designed to be able to operate independently from the electric grid with limited local operating assistance — an exciting notion […]
A cloverleaf of innovation: INL releases custom smart watch faces to commemorate 75 years of innovation
Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) stands as a lasting monument to an innovative idea born on a twilight ride home across the Snake River Plain. The word “cloverleaf” best describes ATR’s innovative core design. Early nuclear engineers built ATR to improve fuel performance in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear fleet. Fifty-seven years later, […]
Idaho National Laboratory celebrates new Sample Preparation Laboratory
IDAHO FALLS – Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has completed substantial construction of a new facility that will serve as a national asset for accelerated research, development and qualification of structural nuclear materials. The Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL) is expected to be operational in 2025. As the first new hot cell facility built at INL in […]
GAIN helped Kentucky clear the runway for nuclear energy. Now the coal-dependent state is waiting for the plane to land
Kenya Stump, an executive with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet for over 17 years, has seen the volatility of coal as an energy source: shrinking demand, plant closures, job losses and tougher pollution controls. Utilities have responded to that pressure by relying more on natural gas plants because they are cheaper and cleaner than […]
From WWII bombers to desert drones: INL’s aviation history predates atomic energy
Matthew Balderree first encountered drones in 2004 as a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force working with an early warning and airspace management radar system in Iraq. For Balderree, that airspace included predator drones, unmanned aircrafts used in numerous military conflicts starting in 1995. In the Air Force, new technology wasn’t always user friendly, […]
Artificial intelligence in nuclear: How computer and data scientists are enhancing the industry
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) feature prominently in advancing technological development across many industries. Data is used to train algorithms, which are a set of digital rules, so tools can perform tasks that can imitate human behavior or enhance tasks generally performed by them: Think ChatGPT and how it can help plan a […]
Fabrication underway for the MARVEL test microreactor
There’s a 12-foot-deep pit in the floor of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Already home to a test reactor that puts up to 20 gigawatts of power into nuclear fuel in a short pulse to test its safety, the TREAT building is awaiting another nuclear reactor that will occupy the […]
Louisiana looks to Idaho National Laboratory for a nuclear strategy
Louisiana leaders are working with Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Frontiers Initiative to help the state — known for its hydrocarbon and chemical industries — become a national leader in advanced nuclear energy. INL experts will help the state develop a strategic plan to use nuclear energy to power its manufacturing sector and support growing grid-scale […]
A smooth ride to the future of nuclear
If you’ve ever driven to a remote area, you may have noticed that the drive time is much longer on dirt roads. But once those roads are paved, you can get where you need to go much more quickly. The path to deploying advanced nuclear reactors isn’t a straight line, but a new supercomputer named […]
A catalyst for success: A molten salt researcher’s journey at INL
Among the impressive nuclear energy scientists at Idaho National Laboratory, Bill Phillips stands out as a particularly gifted molten salt researcher. His journey from intern to staff scientist was marked by unique research findings and growing influence on the scientific community, and clearly illustrates how INL can facilitate a researcher’s development and success. Phillips’ graduate […]
Landmark event initiates a cohesive approach to fundamental molten salt research
On a crisp spring morning, professionals from across the country gathered at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Meeting Center for a novel event. The topics discussed over this two-day meeting aimed to open the door to a new generation of widely applicable technologies. The key? Molten salt. John Carter, INL advanced technology of molten salts […]
Experimental Breeder Reactor-I opens May 24 for 2024 season
For the scientist in all of us, Experimental Breeder Reactor-I will open for the 2024 season starting Friday, May 24. The museum, located 50 miles west of Idaho Falls at Idaho National Laboratory on U.S. 20, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Labor Day. There is no cost for admission. The […]
GAIN vouchers at INL support two dramatically different industry projects
With assistance from the Department of Energy’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) voucher program, Idaho National Laboratory researchers are lending their expertise to two very different companies. In one corner is Dow, the giant plastics and chemicals manufacturer, that is exploring using microreactors to reduce carbon emissions. In the other corner, Curio Solutions, […]
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. […]
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 — […]