NUC News Briefs and More

https://nuc1.inl.gov/SiteAssets/2016%20December/Untitled.png

​Save the date
The NUC quarterly meeting is scheduled for Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 24. Additional information will be available soon.

Reports examine hybrid energy systems

A collaborative effort between DOE’s offices of Nuclear Energy (NE) and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and their respective lead laboratories, Idaho National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has culminated in the publication of a series of reports. They thoroughly analyze the potential economic and environmental benefits of hybrid energy systems for electricity and industrial uses such as hydrogen production and desalination.
Nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems (N-R HESs) can enable low-carbon, on-demand electricity while providing reduced-emission thermal energy for industrial processes. However, the economic feasibility of these systems may depend on future natural gas prices, electricity market structures, and clean energy incentives.

A series of new reports from the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA) and INL examines various hybrid system configurations to provide a basis to identify opportunities for clean energy use and the most economically viable configurations. The reports represent an ongoing collaborative effort at many levels within INL, among the involved national labs and their respective DOE offices.

More detail and links to the reports can be found on INL, DOE-NE and DOE-EERE websites.


INL part of a new institute

Idaho National Laboratory will be part of a new institute focused on developing breakthrough technologies for industrial manufacturing processes. The Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute is the U.S. Department of Energy's fourth Manufacturing USA Institute. It aims to boost domestic energy productivity and efficiency by 20 percent in five years by focusing on industries that include oil and gas, pulp and paper, and chemical manufacturing.

The institute is led by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). INL is part of the institute's governing board, which includes representatives from industry and two national labs. INL was also instrumental in engaging industry to identify technical challenges, understand industry needs and build support needed to enable the Institute to meet cost-share requirements for the award. The RAPID governing board will work with DOE over the coming months to decide on specific research efforts.
Details about the institute are in these news releases from the Department of Energy and AIChE.


EBR 1 celebrates anniversary

Idaho National Laboratory’s Experimental Breeder Reactor-I Atomic Museum celebrated 65 years since the reactor first made electricity.

The EBR-I museum, located 50 miles west of Idaho Falls off U.S. Highway 20, is typically only open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. But the museum opened Dec. 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to honor a significant moment 65 years ago: At 1:23 p.m. on Dec. 20, 1951, nuclear power for the first time provided a generator with enough electricity to power four 200-watt light bulbs.

The following day, the reactor powered the full building. EBR-I operated until 1963. President Lyndon Johnson dedicated the reactor as a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1966. It is one of 10 National Historic Landmarks in Idaho.
The museum also includes displays on EBR-I’s sibling, Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, which once powered most of the site.

More than 250,000 visitors have come into the museum since it opened in 1975.

Date Published: 2016-12-21T07:00:00Z

Back