VIRTUAL

 

Thursday, July 22th    2021

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.

WEBEX


Speaker:  Dr. Joshua T. White

 

MST-8: MATERIALS SCIENCE IN RADIATION & DYNAMICS EXTREMES

Los Alamos National Laboratory

 

“Development of advanced nuclear fuels for current and next generation reactors”

 

 

 

Abstract: 

The DOE-NE Advanced Fuels Campaign has focused on the development of next generation nuclear fuels using a pragmatic approach to improve the safety and economics of nuclear reactors. Fuel development at LANL has utilized a multifaceted approach to fabricate and characterize fuel options for current and next generation reactors. This includes efforts to assess the thermophysical properties for accurate fuel performance code modeling, fabrication of test articles for small scale accelerated irradiation studies, evaluation of industrial scale up, and degradation mechanism under accident scenarios. The focus of this talk will detail the motivation as well as research and development into fuels of interest within the AFC including doped oxide fuels and high uranium density fuels as well as prospects of increasing the burn up limits for current generation light water reactors.

 

Bio:

Joshua T. White is a Staff Scientist at Materials and Science and Technology Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory. He currently leads research efforts at the Fuels Research Laboratory at LANL, which has multiple inert glove box lines to handle and fabricate oxygen sensitive compounds, such as UN, UC, U-Si, composite systems, ThN, as well as actinide bearing oxides. His research interests include high temperature materials synthesis and testing of novel nuclear fuel in accident scenarios as well as characterization of thermophysical properties. As Deputy Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) Lead within the DOE-NE Advanced Fuels Campaign, he coordinates research activities towards ATF across the national laboratory complex and works closely with industry teams to qualify nuclear fuel for deployment. Dr. White received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden Colorado in 2011.