NEUP Integrated Research Projects:

Georgia Institute of Technology

Integrated Approach to Fluoride High Temperature Reactor (FHR) Technology and Licensing Challenges

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Integrated FHR Technology Development: Tritium Management, Materials Testing, Salt Chemistry Control, Thermal-Hydraulics and Neutronics with

Associated Benchmarking

Enabling the Next Nuclear: FHRs to Megawatts

A workshop on the technological advancements and commercialization of FHRs

December 12th – 13th, 2018

Virginia Tech- Northern Virginia Center

7054 Haycock Rd Office 406, Room 114

Falls Church, VA 22043

Website:

crmp.gatech.edu/fhr

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Objective of Workshop

Over the past decade, DOE-NE has funded many NEUP projects including three Integrated

Research Projects (IRPs). This is in addition to the research projects at the national labs that have

led to several advanced high temperature fluoride salt cooled reactor design concepts known as

FHRs. The two most recent IRPs led by Georgia Tech and MIT have advanced several enabling

technologies for facilitating the commercialization of FHRs. These technologies include tritium

management, liquid salt coolant impurity removal and redox and corrosion control, advanced

instrumentation under extreme conditions, qualification of alloys for structural applications, the

design, fabrication, testing, demonstration, and modeling of novel heat exchangers, and

verification and validation of neutronics and thermal hydraulics modeling and simulation tools in

support of licensing, thermal-hydraulic experiments with simulants, materials irradiations in

high-temperature salt, and economic studies.

This workshop is intended to inform the FHR community and the stakeholders of the

recent IRP accomplishments and to discuss the path forward. The technologies developed in

these projects, including new experimental facilities and capabilities, have broader impacts

beyond FHRs. The workshop will host participants from the industry, national laboratories, DOE,

and academia. In addition to several panel discussions, the workshop will include students

showcasing their research results.

Contacts

Dr. Farzad Rahnema (GT, Co-Chair) Dr. Charles Forsberg (MIT, Co-Chair)

farzad@gatech.edu cforsber@mit.edu

Jinsuo Zhang (Virginia Tech, Host)

zjinsuo5@vt.edu

K. Lisa Reed (GT Student, Coordinator)

kreed34@gatech.edu

Qiufeng Yang (VT Student, Poster Coordinator)

qiufeng8@vt.edu

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Agenda

Wednesday, December 12th

7:30 AM Breakfast from Panera

Coffee, Hot tea, Bagels, Morning Pastries, Fresh Fruit

8:00 AM Welcome

Dr. Kenneth Wong - Virginia Tech

8:10 AM An Overview of the Office of Advanced Reactor Deployment

Tom O’Connor - DOE-NE Office of Advanced Reactor Deployment, Director

8:35 AM Overview of the DOE MSR Program

Lou Qualls - Oak Ridge National Laboratory

9:00 AM Commercializing the FHR: From IRP to Kairos Power

Ed Blandford – Kairos Power

9:25 AM Creating Optionality Through Progressive Deployment

Brandon Waites – Southern Nuclear

9:50 AM The End User Perspective

Dan Stout – Tennessee Valley Authority

10:15 AM Break

10:45 AM Impact of FHR Projects

Bill McCollum, Regis Matzie – IRP External Advisory Board Chairs

11:15 AM Overview of FHR Integrated Research Projects

Farzad Rahnema – Georgia Institute of Technology

Charles Forsberg – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

11:45 AM Box Lunch from Potbelly and Student Posters

Full Belly Lunch Boxes: sandwich variety options with chips, pasta salad,

and cookies. Soda and water choices.

See listing of student posters on page 6

1:00 PM FHR Enabling Technology Panel Discussions

Presentation (20 Min)

Discussion (20 Min)

Conclusion (5 Min)

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1:05 PM FHR Technology Panel: Materials

Preet Singh, Georgia Tech - Lead

Jim Keiser, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Raluca Scarlat, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Kumar Sridharan, University of Wisconsin - Madiso

Jinsuo Zhang, Virginia Tech

Kevin Chan, Georgia Tech – Moderator

1:50 PM FHR Technology Panel: Thermal Hydraulics

Xiaodong Sun, University of Michigan - Lead

Elvis Dominguez-Ontiveros, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Srinivas Garimella, Georgia Tech

Youho Lee, University of New Mexico

Per Peterson, University of California, Berkeley

Chacha Lin, University of Michigan - Moderator

2:35 PM Break

3:05 PM FHR Technology Panel: Neutronics

Farzad Rahnema, Georgia Tech – Lead

Bojan Petrovic, Georgia Tech

Max Fratoni, University of California, Berkeley

Paul Burke, Georgia Tech - Moderator

3:50 PM FHR Technology Panel: Tritium Management

Charles Forsberg, MIT – Lead

Bojan Petrovic, Georgia Tech

Xiaodong Sun, University of Michigan

Kyle Ramey, Georgia Tech - Moderator

4:35 PM FHR Technology Panel: Instrumentation and Control

Pavel Tsvetkov, Texas A&M University – Lead

Elvis Dominquez-Ontiveros, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

David Holcomb, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Chris Poresky, University of California, Berkeley

Raluca Scarlat, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Jason Hearne, Texas A&M University – Moderator

5:20 PM Adjourn – Busing to Hilton Garden Inn 706 W Broad St, Falls Church, VA 22046

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6:00 PM Reception at Hilton Garden Inn Drinks, International and Domestic cheese and cracker display

6:30 PM Dinner at Hilton Garden Inn

Soup: Minestrone

Salad: Caesar Salad & Garden Salad

Entrees: Baked Seasoned Chicken & Grilled Sirloin

Accompaniments: Grilled Seasonal Vegetables & Roasted Red Potatoes

Dessert: Dessert Bars

Beverages: Ice Tea, Water, Soda

Thursday, December 13th

7:30 AM Breakfast from Panera

Coffee, Hot tea, Bagels, Morning Pastries, Fresh Fruit

8:25 AM Commercialization and Licensing Roadmap Panels

Presentation (50 Min)

Discussion (25 Min)

Conclusion (10 Min)

8:30 AM Panel – Roadmap to Commercialization

Lou Qualls, Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Lead

Doug Chapin, MPR

Ed Blandford, Kairos Power

Jan Uhlíř. Research Centre Řež. Czech Republic

Lisa Reed, Georgia Tech – Moderator

10:00 AM Break

10:30 AM Panel – Licensing Roadmap and Standards

David Holcomb, Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Lead

Marcel de Vos, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Peter Devitt, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Peter Hastings, Kairos Power

Raj Iyengar, Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Jan Mazza, Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Dumitru Serghiuta, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Brandon Waites, Southern Nuclear

Qiufeng Yang, Virginia Tech – Moderator

12:00 PM Adjourn

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Student Posters

1 – Jason Hearne, Pavel Tsvetkov (TAMU)

Spatial Power Profiling Method Using Visual Information in Reactors with Optically

Transparent Coolants

2 – Karl Britsch, Will Doniger, Mark Anderson, Kumar Sridharan (UW-Madison)

The UW Natural Circulation FliBe Loop

3 – Kevin J. Chan, Preet M. Singh (Georgia Tech)

Carbon effects on corrosion in molten fluoride

4 – Kieran Dolan, Guiqiu Zheng, David Carpenter, Lin-wen Hu (MIT)

Tritium generation, release, and retention from in-core irradiations

6 – Kyle Ramey, Bojan Petrovic (Georgia Tech)

AHTR Reactor Physics Sensitivity Studies

7 – Paul Burke, Farzad Rahnema (Georgia Tech)

Analysis of the MSRE U-233 Critical Experiment for Benchmark Problem Development

8 – Sheng Zhang (UMICH), Hsun-Chia Lin, Minghui Chen, Xiaodong Sun, Richard

Christensen, Srinivas Garimella, Graydon Yoder, and Elvis Dominguez-Ontiveros

Double-wall fluted-tube heat exchanger (DWFT-HX) design considering tritium control

for FHRs

9 – Stephen T. Lam, Ronald Ballinger, Charles Forsberg (MIT)

How to predict and prevent radioactive release in FHRs: Experiments, modeling and

simulation of tritium adsorption systems

10 – Tim Flaspoehler, Kyle Ramey, Bojan Petrovic (Georgia Tech)

Use of AHTR Models to Verify Performance of Monte Carlo Codes and Support Licensing of

FHR Technologies

11 – William Doniger, Guiqiu Zheng, Brian Kelleher, Kieran Dolan, Thomas Chrobak, Karl

Britsch, Guoping Cao, Mark Anderson, Kumar Sridharan (UW-Madison)

Materials Compatibility in Molten 2LiF-BeF2 (FLiBe) Salt

12 – William Doniger, Thomas Chrobak, Brian Kelleher, Kieran Dolan, Karl Britsch, Cody

Falconer, Mohamed Elbakhshwan, Mark Anderson, Dr. Kumar Sridhara (UW-Madison)

Electrochemistry for Investigation of Materials Compatibility in Molten 2LiF-BeF2 (FLiBe)

Salt.

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13 – Yafei Wang, Jinsuo Zhang (Virginia Tech)

Electrochemical Investigation of CeF3 in Molten FLiNaK Salt on W, Cu, and Ni Electrodes

14 – C. Falconer, W. H. Doniger, M. Elbakhshwan, E. Buxton, R. Scarlat, K. Sridharan,

A. Couet (UW-Madison)

Investigation of Materials Corrosion in Molten Fluoride Salts

15 – Charles Forsberg (MIT)

Commercial Market Basis for Fluoride-salt-cooled High-Temperature Reactor (FHR)

16 – Marat Margulis, Geoff Parks, Eugene Shwageraus (University of Cambridge)

AGR Technology for Enabling FHR Designs

17 – Jianbang Ge, Yafei Wang, Qiufeng Yang, Jinsuo Zhang (Virginia Tech)

Electrochemical behaviour and separation of iodide in molten FLiNaK

18 - Qiufeng Yang (Virginia Tech)

Separation and properties of La2O3 in FLiNaK

19 – Carolyn Coyle, Emilio Baglietto, Charles Forsberg (MIT)

Improving Understanding of Radiative Heat Transfer in High-Temperature Liquid-Salts

20 – Chris Poresky, James Kendrick (UCB)

New Applications of Integral Effects Tests for Molten Salt Reactor Development

21 - Hsun-Chia (Chacha) Lin (UMICH), Sheng Zhang, Xiaodong Sun, Richard Christensen,

Grayden Yoder, Elvis Dominguez-Ontiveros

Thermal hydraulics code validation and transient analysis for AHTR

22 – Charles Stratton, Dr. Pavel Tsvetkov (TAMU)

3D Power Profile Reconstruction Using Distributed Sensing Fiber Optics

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Speaker Bios

Dr. Kenneth Wong Virginia Tech

Dr. Kenneth Wong is a research assistant professor of physics at Virginia Tech and his current research areas are in combat casualty care, mobile health, and telemedicine systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Brandeis University and a Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of California San Francisco and the University of

California Berkeley. Dr. Wong joined graduate school at Virginia Tech in 2012 where he serves as Associate Dean for the National Capital Region and Director of the Northern Virginia Center, a regional, multidisciplinary hub for graduate education which hosts our event today. The Graduate Student Services Office in the National Capital Region serves approximately 850 in person students and another 400 students in online programs.

Tom O’Connor Department of Energy – Office of Nuclear Energy

Mr. Thomas O’Connor is the Director of the Office of Advanced Reactor Deployment with

responsibility for non-light water reactor research and development activities and

responsibility for implementing an integrated strategy for the development, licensing and

deployment of advanced reactor concepts. Other responsibilities include management of

cost-shared industry-led private-public partnerships awarded under the Industry

Funding Opportunity Announcement and the development of nuclear cyber security

strategies, integrated energy system strategies, and advanced reactor regulatory

licensing strategies.

Mr. O’Connor has over 35 years of management and operational experience in all aspects

of nuclear science and technology. His experience extends to the commercial nuclear

power sector, including construction with Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation,

regulatory oversight with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and utility experience

with the former Virginia Power. He has also served as the US Representative to the

Generation IV International Forum Policy Group.

Mr. O’Connor received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the

University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the

Georgia Institute of Technology.

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Dr. Lou Qualls Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Dr. Lou Qualls is the national technical director for molten salt reactors

for the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy Advanced

Reactor Technology Program. He also serves as the reactor technology

integration lead for Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In these roles, he

works to support industry’s efforts to develop and deploy molten salt

reactors into the commercial power market. Lou has been a researcher at ORNL since

1988, working on a wide range of nuclear science research, including fusion energy,

nuclear power system development for deep space exploration, and advanced reactor

design. He holds a PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of Tennessee,

Knoxville and he serves on the Tennessee Energy Policy Council.

Dr. Ed Blandford Kairos Power

Dr. Edward Blandford is the Chief Technology Officer for Kairos Power.

Prior to co-founding Kairos, he was at the University of New Mexico

where he is an assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear

Engineering. Prior to the University of New Mexico, he was a Stanton

Nuclear Security Fellow at the Center for International Security and

Cooperation at Stanford University. He also worked for several years as a project

manager at the Electric Power Research Institute focusing on steam generator thermal-

hydraulics and material degradation management. Dr. Blandford has a B.S. in Mechanical

Engineering from UCLA and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Brandon Waites, PE, PMP Southern Nuclear Development

Brandon Waites (PE, PMP) is a new projects manager at Southern

Nuclear Development, a subsidiary of Southern Nuclear Operating

Company and a leader in innovation and advanced nuclear

technologies. In his position, he manages projects in support of future

generation optionality for Southern Company.

Waites joined Southern Nuclear in 2008 after 11 years in the industrial

manufacturing business sector. He has supported development activities for the Vogtle

3&4 construction project and led site development projects for potential nuclear

generation sites.

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Throughout his career, Waites has been involved with new-build projects including

manufacturing facility design, build and start-up, and new nuclear generation

development. Waites is a technically-based, business-informed leader with a passion for

development and a drive toward innovation with a diverse background in leadership,

project management, construction, environmental, engineering, resource planning and

regulatory affairs.

Dan Stout Tennessee Valley Authority

Mr. Stout joined the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in April 2009

where he presently serves as Senior Manager for SMR Technology. He is

responsible for TVA's Small Modular Reactor project where TVA is

evaluating the Clinch River Site and pursuing a license from the Nuclear

Regulatory Commission for up to four SMR units.

Prior to TVA, Mr. Stout served as Director of Nuclear Fuel Recycling at the Department of

Energy. Where he was the lead interface with industry working under Cooperative

Agreements with the Department in support of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership,

Mr. Stout served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear submarine officer from 1985 to 1991, After

which, he served in the Naval Reserves in the Naval Special Warfare community until

2007, retiring as a Commander. From 1991 to 2006 Mr. Stout also worked in the uranium

enrichment industry, predominantly at USEC Inc., where he was Director of Advanced

Technology.

Mr. Stout graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985. He received his Master’s

Degree in Engineering Management from the National Technological University in 1997.

Bill McCollum McCollum Holdings, LLC

Bill McCollum is a seasoned executive with over 40 years of experience in the

commercial nuclear industry, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of the Tennessee

Valley Authority. His involvements include five years with the INPO executive review

group, two years on the Nuclear Energy Institute Program and Resources Committee, and

as board member for the National Academy for Nuclear Training. McCollum has served as

Executive Vice-President and Chief Regulated Generation Officer among other roles and

capacities within Duke Energy and is the current owner for McCollum Holdings, LLC,

where he serves as a consultant to firms in the energy industry.

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Bill McCollum received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering and master’s in nuclear

engineering from Georgia Tech, and his MBA from UNC-Charlotte.

Regis Matzie RAMatzie Nuclear Technology Consulting, LLC

Dr. Regis A. Matzie provides technical consulting services to the

international nuclear industry and currently lectures and consults

with several universities on curriculum development and nuclear

technology topics. His 35-year career in the commercial nuclear

power industry has been devoted primarily to the development of

advanced nuclear systems and advanced fuel cycles, and he is the

author of more than 125 technical papers and reports on these subjects.

Dr. Matzie retired from Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC in 2009 as senior vice-

president and chief technology officer responsible for all Westinghouse research and

development undertakings and advanced nuclear plant development. Previously, he was

responsible for the development, licensing, detailed engineering, project management,

and component manufacturing of new Westinghouse light water reactors.

Dr. Matzie holds a physics degree from the U. S. Naval Academy, and a master of science

and Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Stanford University.

Farzad Rahnema Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Farzad Rahnema is a Georgia Power Company Distinguished

Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering. He joined

Georgia Tech in 1992 and was at General Electric Nuclear Energy

before then. Dr. Rahnema is a Fellow of the American Nuclear

Society (ANS), and served as the Chair of the Nuclear & Radiological

Engineering and Medical Physics Programs at Georgia Institute of

Technology for thirteen years.

Dr. Rahnema received his PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of California–

Los Angeles (UCLA).

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Charles Forsberg Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Charles Forsberg directed the MIT Nuclear Fuel Cycle Study, is the

Director and principle investigator for the MIT Fluoride Salt-Cooled

High-Temperature Reactor Project, and the Idaho National Laboratory

University lead for Hybrid Energy Systems. Before joining MIT he was a

Corporate Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He is a

Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the American

Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Forsberg received the

2002 ANS Special Award for Innovative Nuclear Reactors (Fluoride-salt-cooled high-

temperature reactors and PIUS-BWR), and in 2005 the American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Robert E. Wilson Award in recognition of chemical engineering contributions to nuclear energy,

including his work on reprocessing, waste management, repositories, and production of liquid

fuels using nuclear energy. He received the 2014 Seaborg Award from the ANS for advancements

in nuclear energy. He holds 11 patents and has published more than 250 papers. He is a licensed

professional engineer.

Dr. Forsberg received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of

Minnesota and both his master’s and doctoral degree in Nuclear Engineering from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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A workshop summary covering the presentations, posters, and panels will be

found online soon at crmp.gatech.edu/fhr

Thank you for attending!