U.S. Department of Energy Awards Grant to UC s Maldonado
The $400,000 three-year research proposal is for BWR Assembly Optimization for Minor Actinide Recycling.
The primary objective of this project is to apply and extend the latest advancements in light-water reactor (LWR) fuel management optimization to design advanced boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel assemblies for the recycling of minor actinides, explains Maldonado.
Fission products and elements that are heavier than uranium are key components of what makes up high-level radioactive nuclear waste. Among some of the most toxic and long-lived transuranic elements are minor actinides such as neptunium, americium and curium. (Transuranic means those elements that are heavier than uranium, a very heavy element in itself.)
Maldonado in his lab.
It is a well-substantiated theory that selective (and substantial) elimination of minor actinides extracted from spent fuel can ultimately promote significant reductions in the magnitude and duration of the toxicity and heat load of a high-level waste repository, says Maldonado.
In announcing the awards, outgoing Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham cited the importance of the research being funded.
The awards we announce today will bring us a step closer to a better, more secure energy future and also help develop the scientists and engineers that will keep the United States at the forefront of technology well into the future, said Abraham. The DOE announced altogether 35 research awards at 25 universities. The approximate $21 million is to be directed to major nuclear energy research and development programs. DOE will now negotiate with the universities to determine specific terms and award dates. Additional information on other educational initiatives sponsored by the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology are available at www.nuclear.gov.
Related links:
Related Stories
UC’s commercialization navigator pilots tech transfer at 1819...
July 25, 2024
Housed within the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub, the Technology Transfer team is vital to safeguarding and managing the intellectual property generated by UC’s researchers. Its mission is to translate UC's cutting-edge innovations into viable technologies by evaluating patentability and commercial viability, ensuring compliance and legal protection, recruiting and maintaining external partners, marketing technologies, negotiating license deals and identifying funding opportunities. This multifaceted approach ensures that groundbreaking discoveries from UC are positioned to reach the market, delivering substantial benefits that impact society.
Don't like your voice? There's an app for that.
July 24, 2024
WVXU's Cincinnati Edition talks to UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Associate Professor Vesna Novak about her new voice-coaching app.
UC students win hackathon in San Francisco
July 22, 2024
With an app that combats food waste and incentivises donations to food banks, two University of Cincinnati students were part of a team that won an artificial intelligence and blockchain hackathon competition in San Francisco. Daniel Vennemeyer, a computer science, economics and mathematics student who also is pursuing a master’s degree in AI through UC’s ACCEND program, and Phan Anh “Rai” Duong, a computer science student, were part of a team that won the grand prize in the EasyA x VeChain Bay Area Hackathon.