ORNL researchers take on new energy challenges with ARPA-E funding

Fusion and Fission Energy

One of the ARPA-E funded teams will be led by Vittorio Badalassi, leader of ORNL’s Multiphysics CFD Applications Group, to develop and validate a patented, Nested Pebble Bed Blanket (NesPeB) concept for fusion energy. 

The NesPeB project will focus on fusion blankets, the structures that surround the fusion chamber. These blankets absorb heat from fusion reactions, breed tritium fuel, provide radiation shielding for reactor components and extract power to generate electricity. The project will address current blanket concepts' shortcomings and technical immaturity, paving the way for rapid deployment of fusion power plants. The NesPeB concept is based on nested pebbles, which are binary sized lithium-ceramic pebbles enclosed in binary-sized Beryllium alloy spherical shells. NesPeB’s technology will be applicable to all fusion devices. Ohio State University will partner on the project.

A team led by Pradeep Ramuhalli, of ORNL’s Modern Nuclear Instrumentation and Controls Group, was designated to receive funds through ARPA-E's Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimized Now, or NEWTON, program to support the development of the Self-learning Machine intelligence for Accelerator Reliability, Trip Optimization and Performance Stabilization or SMART-Ops. 

SMART-Ops is an artificial intelligence-powered beam stabilization and trip mitigation system to improve efficiency and reliability of particle generation and acceleration for accelerator-driven subcritical systems. This technology will leverage knowledge-informed machine learning algorithms that utilize underlying physics of the accelerator to predict and mitigate beam trips in real time, significantly enhancing the reliability and efficiency of the beam line. University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Purdue University researchers will join the team. 

The NEWTON program pursues transmutation technologies to significantly reduce the mass, volume, activity, and effective half-life of the existing stockpile of commercial used nuclear fuel.

“Securing the energy needed to power our nation for generations to come requires a collaborative approach to science,” said Dave Pointer, division director of ORNL’s Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division. “Our legacy is rooted in driving innovation through cross-cutting work that connects all of our efforts.”

Materials Science

Govindarajan Muralidharan, a distinguished research and development staff member in ORNL’s Metals and Composites Processing Group, will lead a team looking to develop a new type of steel that can improve performance of power transformers. The new steel, known as low-loss grain-oriented steel, has higher silicon levels that improve the stability of the material while avoiding brittleness challenges present in traditional high-silicon steels. 

Researchers believe the new steel can reduce energy losses by more than 20 percent over existing transformers, critical components of the nation’s power grid that are used to change the voltage of electricity and aid in long-distance transmission. The new steel can also reduce the “hum” noise of transformers while cutting weight and cost. Partners in the project include the Universities of North Texas and Pittsburgh, along with Cleveland-Cliffs, Advanced Optical and Hitachi Energy.

Another project team will use artificial intelligence and lab-based research to identify and aid rapid deployment of new high-performance materials for hydrogen-fueled power generation technologies. Rishi Pillai, who leads the Corrosion Science and Technology Group at ORNL, will guide the project which looks to create a new method for identifying metal alloys that can operate efficiently in harsh environments such as those found in hydrogen-powered generators. 

The new approach will use artificial intelligence to discover and design promising materials, then couple those outcomes with a first-of-a-kind multi-capability hydrogen-testing platform and a computing-based modeling framework that will address embrittlement and corrosion, two challenges common in hydrogen power.  These new materials could lead to greater deployment of hydrogen in electricity generation, helping to increase U.S. energy security and technological leadership in this critical area. Partners include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Virginia Tech and the University of Pittsburgh.

The final ARPA-E funded project at ORNL, led by Separations and Polymer Chemistry Section Head Sheng Dai, will look to refine a more efficient, domestically deployable method for making high-purity graphite, a critical material for a variety of energy and national security applications. Currently, the U.S. imports most of its graphite from overseas, with China producing more than three-fourths of the world’s supply. This creates potential supply-chain challenges for production, delivery and storage of energy, as well as the aerospace, electronics and automotive industries. 

The innovative new technique will use molten salts to produce graphite from a variety of feedstocks, including biomass, at temperatures almost two-thirds lower than current approaches. Production can be accomplished in 3-6 hours versus 1-2 days currently, providing a major leap forward in efficiency and scalability of domestic graphite production. Solidon Technology, Inc., will join the team working to further develop the technique, which recently won an R&D 100 Award.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.