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The Fuel Cell Technologies Office develops technologies to enable fuel cells to be competitive in diverse applications, with a focus on light-duty vehicles (at less than $40/kW) and to enable renewable hydrogen to be cost-competitive with gasoline (at less than $4 per gallon gasoline equivalent (gge), delivered and dispensed).
The Bioenergy Technologies Office is one of the 10 technology development offices within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. This Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) sets forth the goals and structure of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (the Office). It identifies the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D), and market transformation and crosscutting activities the Office will focus on over the next five years and outlines why these activities are important to meeting the energy and sustainability challenges facing the nation. This MYPP is intended for use as an operational guide to help the Office manage and coordinate its activities, as well as a resource to help communicate its mission and goals to stakeholders and the public.
The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) is the only technology development office within the U.S. Government that is dedicated to improving the energy and material efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness of manufacturers across the industrial sector.
The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) is the only technology development office within the U.S. Government that is dedicated to improving the energy and material efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness of manufacturers across the industrial sector.
The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) is the only technology development office within the U.S. Government that is dedicated to improving the energy and material efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness of manufacturers across the industrial sector.
The Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Technology Development Office (TDO) is currently supporting a tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel development and qualification program, which includes fuel fabrication, test irradiations, and post-irradiation examination (PIE) and safety testing to assess fuel performance during normal irradiation and under accident conditions. PIE work on fuel from the third and fourth test irradiations, Advanced Gas Reactor-3/4 (AGR-3/4), will begin at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in approximately April 2015. The work scope in this memorandum purchase order (MPO) includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) providing technical input, developing equipment and techniques for small-area deconsolidation of compacts, and initiating a system design for hot cell operations (expected to begin in about April 2015), and contributing expertise to this effort.
D and D projects in general and the Portsmouth (PORTS) Gaseous Diffusion Plant (GDP) D and D Project in particular have historically relied on labor-intensive manual methods to accomplish their objectives. In partnering with the Department of Energy's Environmental Management (DOE-EM) Technology Development Office supporting the DOE Science of Safety initiative, PORTS has made significant strides identifying and implementing innovative, mission-relevant robotic and related enabling technologies into the site's day-to-day operations. A WM2017 presentation described the various steps being taken towards technology deployment at PORTS. This WM2018 presentation updates the status of implementation and presents additional technologies that are being developed for deployment at the site. Specific technologies introduced at PORTS over the past year have included Virtual Reality work planning; an emergency response platform; and tele-operated systems for equipment dismantlement, material handling and size reduction. Each of these technologies has moved forward and is progressing toward implementation and operation. In addition, newly developed technology applications for detecting uranium deposits in pipes have successfully completed a series of demonstration testing (cold, warm and hot). Development of production prototypes is currently underway for deployment by late spring 2018. (authors)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has participated in the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) since the inception of the program. In this effort, ORNL has fabricated tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel and fuel compacts for AGR-1, AGR-2, and AGR-3/4 experiments, provided matrix only components for AGC-2 and AGR-3/4 experiments and for university studies, and provided characterization, coating, and compaction support for Babcock and Wilcox (B&W). In FY 2017, the activities for the Very-High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Technology Development Office (TDO) fuel development are focused on preparations for the AGR-5/6/7 experiments. With the successful transfer of fuel fabrication technology to B&W, ORNL’s involvement has shifted toward transferring fuel characterization methods, providing support for fabricating surrogate fuel materials international collaborations. ORNL will also provide analytical support to B&W for uranium dispersion analysis and confirmatory fuel characterization analyses as needed.
Under a diverse set of programs, the Vehicle Technologies and Fuel Cell Technologies Offices of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invest in early-stage research of advanced batteries and electrification, engines and fuels, materials, and energy-efficient mobility systems; hydrogen production, delivery, and storage; and fuel cell technologies. This report documents the estimated benefits of successful development and implementation of advanced vehicle technologies. It presents a comparison of a scenario with completely successful implementation of Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) technologies (the Program Success case) to a future in which there is no contribution after Fiscal Year 2017 by the VTO or FCTO to these technologies (the No Program case). Benefits were attributed to individual program technology areas, which included FCTO research and development and the VTO programs of electrification, advanced combustion engines and fuels, and materials technology. Projections for the Program Success case indicate that by 2035, the average fuel economy of on-road, light-duty vehicle stock could be 24% to 30% higher than in the No Program case, while fuel economy for on-road medium- and heavy-duty vehicle stock could be as much as 13% higher. The resulting petroleum savings in 2035 were estimated to be as high as 1.9 million barrels of oil per day, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions were estimated to be as high as 320 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. Projections of light-duty vehicle adoption indicate that although advanced-technology vehicles may be somewhat more expensive to purchase, the fuel savings result in a net reduction of consumer cost. In 2035, reductions in annual fuel expenditures for vehicles (both light- and heavy-duty) are projected to range from $86 billion to $109 billion (2015$), while the projected increase in new vehicle expenditures in the same year ranges from $6 billion to $24 billion (2015$).
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has participated in the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) and the transition to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Technology Development Office (TDO) since the inception of the program. In this effort, ORNL has fabricated tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel and fuel compacts for AGR-1, AGR-2, and AGR-3/4 experiments, provided matrix only components for AGC-2, AGC-4, and AGR 3/4 experiments and for university studies, and provided characterization, coating, and compaction support for INL and BWX Technologies Nuclear Operations Group (BWXT). In fiscal year (FY) 2017, the activities for the INL ART TDO fuel development are focused on preparations for the AGR-5/6/7 experiments and technical support to the Generation-IV International Forum (GIF) pre-irradiation leach-burn-leach (LBL) round robin effort with China and South Korea. With the successful transfer of fuel fabrication technology to BWXT, ORNL’s involvement has shifted toward transferring fuel characterization methods, providing technical support, verification of BWXT laboratory results, and fabricating surrogate fuel materials for university collaborations. ORNL will also provide analytical support to BWXT and INL for uranium dispersion analysis and confirmatory fuel characterization analyses as needed.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has participated in the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) and the transition to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Technology Development Office (TDO) since the inception of the program. In this effort, ORNL has fabricated tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel and fuel compacts for AGR-1, AGR-2, and AGR-3/4 experiments, provided matrix only components for AGC-2, AGC-4, and AGR 3/4 experiments and for university studies, and provided characterization, coating, and compaction support for INL and BWX Technologies Nuclear Operations Group (BWXT). In fiscal year (FY) 2017, the activities for the INL ART TDO fuel development are focused on preparations for the AGR-5/6/7 experiments and technical support to the Generation IV (GenIV) pre-irradiation leach-burn-leach round robin effort with China and South Korea. With the successful transfer of fuel fabrication technology to BWXT, ORNL’s involvement has shifted toward transferring fuel characterization methods, providing technical support, verification of BWXT laboratory results, and fabricating surrogate fuel materials for university collaborations. ORNL will also provide analytical support to BWXT and INL for uranium dispersion analysis and confirmatory fuel characterization analyses as needed.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has participated in the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) and the transition to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Technology Development Office (TDO) since the inception of the program. In this effort, ORNL has fabricated tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel and fuel compacts for AGR-1, AGR-2, and AGR-3/4 experiments, provided matrix only components for AGC-2, AGC-4, and AGR 3/4 experiments and for university studies, and provided characterization, coating, and compaction support for INL and BWX Technologies Nuclear Operations Group (BWXT). In fiscal year (FY) 2018, the activities for the INL ART TDO fuel development are focused on final characterization to support the AGR-5/6/7 experiments and technical support to the Generation-IV International Forum (GIF) pre-irradiation leach-burn-leach (LBL) round robin effort with China and South Korea.
The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Technology Development Office (TDO) program is developing and qualifying fuel for a first of a kind high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) and associated systems to generate electrical power and produce hydrogen or process heat. One of the critical technology development areas of the program is nuclear fuel development and qualification. Fuel qualification is needed to support licensing, operation, and near term deployment of an HTGR reactor.5 Toward this end, the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program includes manufacturing fuels for a series of irradiation experiments in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at INL.5 The fifth, sixth, and seventh irradiation experiments, called “AGR 5/6/7,” will use fuel manufactured entirely in engineering scale equipment to demonstrate the performance of fuels fabricated in a production environment. This fuel will be composited from multiple low enriched uranium carbide/oxide (LEUCO) kernel forming runs, multiple tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coating runs, and multiple overcoating runs. The fuel will be composited into lots as kernels, TRISO particles, and compacts. Previous AGR fuel specifications1,2,8,9 provide the basis for most of the following fuel specifications, which are specific to the AGR 5/6/7 experiment, and may not be immediately applicable to fuel produced for an HTGR reactor. Fuel specifications will be influenced by the final reactor design.
Through a diverse set of programs, the Vehicle Technologies and Fuel Cell Technologies Offices of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) invest in early-stage vehicle and fuel cell research. The Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) and the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) are two offices that are encompassed within EERE’s Sustainable Transportation pillar. VTO conducts research and development (R&D) to provide low-cost, reliable, and efficient energy for the transportation of goods and people across America. FCTO has a comprehensive portfolio of activities that address the barriers facing the development and implementation of hydrogen and fuel cells, with the ultimate goals of decreasing our dependence on oil, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and enabling clean, reliable power generation through both transportation and stationary uses of hydrogen. This report quantifies the vehicle-level and national-level benefits of successful VTO and FCTO R&D applied to medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The benefits estimated include reductions in energy use and GHG emissions from and changes in expenditures on medium- and heavy-duty vehicles on the road in the United States through the year 2050. The potential future benefits of successfully developing and implementing these technologies were analyzed by comparing a “Program Success” case to a base case (the “No Program” case). The Program Success case represents the future with successful implementation of VTO and FCTO technologies. The No Program case represents a future in which VTO or FCTO do not contribute to these technologies after Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. Three side cases were analyzed to assess the sensitivity of the projections of market adoption to future electricity prices (including infrastructure costs), the availability of electricity and hydrogen at public stations, and fuel cell system efficiency. Advanced vehicle technologies supported by VTO and FCTO programs can greatly increase the fuel economy of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. As a result of EERE-supported technologies, the sales-weighted average fuel economy of the fleet of all new Class 7 and 8 trucks in the Program Success case is projected to be 1.2 times that of the trucks in the No Program case in 2035 and 1.3 times the baseline in 2050. These technologies in Classes 4–6 increase fuel economy by a factor of 1.46 in 2035 and 1.78 in 2050. The fuel economy of the entire on-road medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleet, including all fuel types, is projected to be higher by 10%, reaching 9.1 mpgde in 2035, and by 25%, reaching 11.0 mpgde in 2050. The resulting petroleum savings in 2050 were estimated to be 0.75 million barrels per day, and reductions in GHG emissions in 2050 were estimated to 110 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 -eq) per year. Such petroleum reductions result in significant reductions in fuel expenditure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, totaling approximately $37 billion annually by 2035. Figure ES-1 shows the difference in projected consumption of diesel fuel, electricity, and hydrogen in the No Program and Program Success cases. Negative values show the reduction in the Program Success case, relative to the No Program case.
The Graphite Technology Development Program is running a series of six experiments to quantify the effects of irradiation on nuclear grade graphite. The fourth experiment, Advanced Graphite Creep 4 (AGC 4), began with Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) cycle 157D on May 30, 2015, and has been irradiated for two cycles. The capsule was removed from the reactor after ATR cycle 158A, which ended on January 2, 2016, due to interference with another experiment. Irradiation will resume when the interfering experiment is removed from the reactor. This report documents qualification of AGC 4 experiment irradiation monitoring data for use by the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Technology Development Office (TDO) Program for research and development activities required to design and license the first HTR nuclear plant. Qualified data meet the requirements for use as described in the experiment planning and quality assurance documents. Failed data do not meet the requirements and provide no useable information. Trend data may not meet all requirements, but still provide some useable information. Use of Trend data requires assessment of how any deficiencies affect a particular use of the data. All thermocouples (TCs) have functioned throughout the AGC-4 experiment. All temperature data are Qualified for use by the ART TDO Program. Argon, helium, and total gas flow data were within expected ranges and are Qualified for use by the ART TDO Program. Discharge gas line moisture values were consistently low during cycle 157D. At the start of cycle 158A, gas moisture briefly spiked to over 600 ppmv and then declined throughout the cycle. Moisture values are within the measurement range of the instrument and are Qualified for use by the ART TDO Program. Graphite creep specimens were subjected to one of three loads, 393, 491, or 589 lbf. For a brief period during cycle 157D between 12:19 on June 2, 2015 and 08:23 on June 11, 2015 the load cells were wired incorrectly resulting in missing stack load data. Missing stack loads were estimated from measured ram pressures using regression equations developed from the existing data from cycle 157D. Estimated stack loads during this period are considered to be an accurate representation of actual load applied to the stacks. These loads deviate slightly from the planned loads. This deviation does not prevent the data from being Qualified for use, but must be taken into account when analyzing the effect of load on creep. Stack displacement increased consistently throughout the first two cycles with total displacement ranging from 0.4 to 0.8 in. During ATR outages, a set of pneumatic rams raised the stacks of graphite creep specimens to ensure the specimens were not stuck within the test train. This stack raising was performed twice. All stacks were raised successfully each time. The load and displacement data are Qualified for use by the ART TDO Program.
This document presents the as run analysis of the AGR 2 irradiation experiment. AGR 2 is the second of the planned irradiations for the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program. Funding for this program is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Technology Development Office (TDO) program. The objectives of the AGR 2 experiment are to: 1. Irradiate UCO (uranium oxycarbide) and UO2 (uranium dioxide) fuel produced in a large coater. Fuel attributes are based on results obtained from the AGR 1 test and other project activities. 2. Provide irradiated fuel samples for post irradiation experiment (PIE) and safety testing. 3. Support the development of an understanding of the relationship between fuel fabrication processes, fuel product properties, and irradiation performance.
Several fuel and material irradiation experiments have been planned for the Idaho National Laboratory Advanced Reactor Technologies Technology Development Office Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program (referred to as the INL ART TDO/AGR fuel program hereafter), which supports the development and qualification of tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel for use in HTGRs. The goals of these experiments are to provide irradiation performance data to support fuel process development, qualify fuel for normal operating conditions, support development and validation of fuel performance and fission product transport models and codes, and provide irradiated fuel and materials for post irradiation examination and safety testing (INL 05/2015). AGR-3/4 combined the third and fourth in this series of planned experiments to test TRISO coated low enriched uranium (LEU) oxycarbide fuel. This combined experiment was intended to support the refinement of fission product transport models and to assess the effects of sweep gas impurities on fuel performance and fission product transport by irradiating designed-to-fail fuel particles and by measuring subsequent fission metal transport in fuel-compact matrix material and fuel-element graphite. The AGR 3/4 fuel test was successful in irradiating the fuel compacts to the burnup and fast fluence target ranges, considering the experiment was terminated short of its initial 400 EFPD target (Collin 2015). Out of the 48 AGR-3/4 compacts, 42 achieved the specified burnup of at least 6% fissions per initial heavy-metal atom (FIMA). Three capsules had a maximum fuel compact average burnup < 10% FIMA, one more than originally specified, and the maximum fuel compact average burnup was <19% FIMA for the remaining capsules, as specified. Fast neutron fluence fell in the expected range of 1.0 to 5.5 × 10 25 n/m 2 (E >0.18 MeV) for all compacts. In addition, the AGR-3/4 experiment was globally successful in keeping the temperature in the twelve capsules relatively flat in a range of temperatures suitable for the measurement of fission product diffusion in compact matrix and structural graphite materials.
This document presents the as run analysis of the AGR 2 irradiation experiment. AGR 2 is the second of the planned irradiations for the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program. Funding for this program is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Technology Development Office (TDO) program. The objectives of the AGR 2 experiment are to: 1. Irradiate UCO (uranium oxycarbide) and UO2 (uranium dioxide) fuel produced in a large coater. Fuel attributes are based on results obtained from the AGR 1 test and other project activities. 2. Provide irradiated fuel samples for post irradiation experiment (PIE) and safety testing. 3. Support the development of an understanding of the relationship between fuel fabrication processes, fuel product properties, and irradiation performance.