Sandia National Laboratories has been selected for $3.38 million in Department of Energy funding to develop analytical tools that could help advance the production and deployment of nuclear fuels for next-generation reactors.
DOE's Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Brandon Williams recognized the selection Friday during a news conference at Albuquerque's National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, joined by Sandia Deputy Laboratories Director for Integrated Security Missions Deborah Frincke.
The funding is part of the up to $50 million High-Performance Optimized Recycled Nuclear Isotopes for Gen IV Reactors, or HORNIG, program, administered by DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, known as ARPA-E. The program supports research into nuclear fuels made using materials recovered from used nuclear fuel and other sources, with the goal of advancing fuel technologies for next-generation reactors.
"Sandia National Laboratories has a long history of solving some of our nation's toughest technical challenges, and its expertise will be essential to advancing America's nuclear renaissance," said Williams. "This investment will build on Sandia's capabilities to help fuel developers overcome the barriers to commercial-scale manufacturing and turn promising nuclear fuel technologies into practical solutions. It's exactly the kind of partnership we need to strengthen America's energy security, accelerate advanced nuclear deployment, and deliver on President Trump's vision for American energy dominance."
Sandia's project, Transuranic Reactor-fuel Pathways for Sociotechnical Analysis, Technoeconomics, and Harmonization, known as TRU-PATH, will develop an analytical platform to evaluate safety, nuclear safeguards and other considerations associated with scaling up production of advanced reactor fuels.
The research will help fuel developers identify technical requirements, economic considerations and other constraints that could affect manufacturing and deploying these fuels on a commercial scale.
While some HORNIG projects will focus on aspects of fuel design, fabrication, testing and qualification, Sandia's work will examine the broader considerations involved in bringing these emerging fuel technologies toward practical application.
"This project is purpose-driven to look at what brings the nation the safest and most secure energy solutions," said Frincke. "Sandia's role focuses on designing a safety and security framework for recycling transuranic fuel and leverages our long history of nuclear research."
Through the TRU-PATH project, Sandia researchers will support efforts to better understand how advanced nuclear fuels could be produced and deployed safely and securely. The work contributes to broader DOE efforts to advance nuclear energy technologies and strengthen domestic nuclear fuel capabilities.
