The development of clean, affordable nuclear power options is a key element of the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap. As a part of this strategy, a high priority of the Department has been to help accelerate the timelines for the commercialization and deployment of small modular reactor (SMR) technologies through the SMR Licensing Technical Support program. Begun in FY12, the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Small Modular Reactor Licensing Technical Support program will advance the certification and licensing of domestic SMR designs that are relatively mature and can be deployed in the next decade. More information : http://www.sfen.org/

1. Current Issues
DOE's Nuclear Energy Programs
Dr. Peter Lyons
Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy
U.S. Department of Energy
SFANS
Paris, France
September 23, 2013

2. 2
Nuclear Energy
Plays an Important Role in US Energy Supply
 Nuclear power is a clean, reliable base load energy
source
 Provides 19% of U.S. electricity generation mix
 Provides 61% of U.S. emission-free electricity
 Avoids about 700 MMTCO2 each year
 Helps reduces overall NOx and SOx levels
 U.S. electricity demand projected to increase ~28% by
2040 from 2011 levels
 100 GWe nuclear capacity - 100 operating plants
 Fleet maintaining close to 90% average capacity
factors
 Most expected to apply for license renewal for 60
years of operation.
Nuclear
19%
Electricity Production, 2012
Total: 4,054,485 GWh
Nuclear
61%
Conven.
Hydro
22%
Wind
11%
Solar
0%
Geo-
thermal
1%
Biomass
5%
Net Non-Carbon Emitting
Sources of Electricity, 2012
Source: Energy Information Administration

3. 3
President Obama’s
Nuclear Energy Goals
"We have an obligation to leave our
children a planet that’s not polluted or
damaged, and by taking steady,
responsible steps to cut carbon
pollution and an all-of-the-above
approach to develop homegrown
energy …
Thanks to the ingenuity of our
businesses, we're starting to produce
much more of our own energy. We're
building the first nuclear power plants
in more than three decades in Georgia
and South Carolina.“
- Georgetown University June 26th, 2013

4. 4
Secretary of Energy, Dr. Ernest Moniz
confirmed on May 16, 2013
 Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems at MIT and
founding Director of the MIT Energy Initiative and of the MIT
Laboratory for Energy and the Environment
 Under Secretary of the Department of Energy (1997 to 2001)
 Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and
Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President
(1995-1997)
 Served on the President Obama’s Council of Advisors on
Science and Technology; the Department of Defense Threat
Reduction Advisory Committee; the Blue Ribbon Commission
on America’s Nuclear Future; and the Council on Foreign
Relations
 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Humboldt
Foundation, and the American Physical Society.
 Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude in Physics from Boston College, Doctorate in
Theoretical Physics from Stanford University

5. 5
“I believe small modular
reactors could represent the
next generation of nuclear
energy technology, providing a
strong opportunity for America
to lead this emerging global
industry.”
Secretary Moniz on Nuclear Energy
“We are committed to fostering the safe and secure contribution of
nuclear power to the global energy mix.”
IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security – July 1, 2013
U.S. Senate Committee on
Energy & Natural Resource Confirmation Hearing
April 9, 2013

6. 6
Key Areas of Focus
 Small Modular Reactors
 Progress on Back End of Fuel Cycle
 Fukushima Dai-ichi accident response and research
impacts

7. 7
Why are SMR technologies
of interest to DOE?
Safety Benefits
 Passive decay heat removal by natural circulation
 Smaller source term inventory
 Simplified design eliminates/mitigates several postulated accidents
 Below grade reactor siting
 Potential for reduction in Emergency Planning Zone
Economic Benefits
 Reduced financial risk
 Flexibility to add units
 Right size for replacement of old coal plants
 Use domestic forgings and manufacturing
 Job creation
NE working definition of SMRs: reactor units with a nominal output of 300 MWe or less
and are able to have large components or modules fabricated remotely and transported to
the site for assembly of components and operation.

8. 8
SMR Licensing Technical
Support Program
 Supports first phase for deployment
 Facilitates and accelerates commercial development and deployment of near term U.S. SMR
designs at domestic locations
 $452 M in cost-share program over 6 years
• FY12 funding is $67M and FY14 request is $70M
 DOE has selected one award under the first SMR funding opportunity announcement (FOA)
– Babcock and Wilcox mPower Design selected
 DOE issued a second FOA that places more emphasis on innovation in improved safety
attributes and further reduces regulatory risk for some of the SMR technologies through:
 lower core damage frequencies
 longer post-accident coping periods
 enhanced resistance to natural phenomena
 potentially smaller emergency preparedness zones
 smaller workforce requirements
** Both the 1st and 2nd funding opportunities will be funded out of the $452M program**

9. 9
Babcock and Wilcox (B&W)
Selected for First SMR Award
 The Department has selected Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), in
partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and
Bechtel, to receive the first award under the SMR Licensing
Technical Support Program.
 The mPower SMR design is technically well-conceived with a
viable path to certification and licensing that has been worked
aggressively with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over
several years leading to this selection.
 ~180 MWe
 Utilizes standard UO2 LWR fuel
 Up to 4 year refueling interval
 Provides air-cooled condenser option

10. 10
Blue Ribbon Commission
Recommendations
1. A new, consent-based approach to siting future nuclear waste
management facilities.
2. A new organization dedicated solely to implementing the waste
management program and empowered with the authority and
resources to succeed.
3. Access to the funds nuclear utility ratepayers are providing for the
purpose of nuclear waste management.
4. Prompt efforts to develop one or more geologic disposal facilities.
5. Prompt efforts to develop one or more consolidated storage facilities.
6. Prompt efforts to prepare for the eventual large-scale transport of
spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste to consolidated storage and
disposal facilities when such facilities become available.
7. Support for continued U.S. innovation in nuclear energy technology
and for workforce development.
8. Active U.S. leadership in international efforts to address safety, waste
management, non-proliferation, and security concerns.

11. 11
Key Elements of
Administration Strategy

12. 12
Congressional Activity
 Senators Wyden, Murkowski, Feinstein, and Alexander introduced
comprehensive nuclear waste legislation – Nuclear Waste Administration
Act of 2013 (S. 1240)
 Establishes a siting process for storage and repository facilities that relies on
consent agreements and Congressional ratification
 Establishes a new organization – Nuclear Waste Administration – run by a single
Administrator and overseen by an Oversight Board
 Addresses funding reform by creating a new Working Capital Fund in which fees
are deposited and are available as needed
 Path to passage is difficult to predict
 Court cases still pending
 Some factions in Congress ready to “move on” from Yucca Mountain, while
others not

13. 13
Analysis of Fukushima
Event Using MELCOR
 Objectives of Study
 Collect, verify, and document data on the accidents
 Reconstruct the accidents and their progression using MELCOR
 Validate the models and analyses
 Participants were Sandia National Laboratories, Idaho National Laboratory and
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
 Sponsors were DOE and NRC
 Collaborators
 Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)
 Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
 Institute of Nuclear Power Operators (INPO)
 Preliminary results encouraging in terms of capturing essential accident
signatures/trends

14. 14
Fukushima Dai-ichi Next Steps
 OECD/NEA Fukushima Benchmarking Project
 Recently initiated a Fukushima Dai-ichi analysis and benchmarking project that
DOE and NRC support
 Results of this effort could guide defueling of Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant
 NEA effort expected to last about a year and is expected to:
 Improve understanding of accident progression;
 Enable comparison and improvement of various models and their methodology; and
 Assist in decommissioning planning by evaluating current internal status, including
distribution of fuel debris.
 As part of Phase 2, DOE will work with Japan and international community to
develop plan for such data collection during defueling
 DOE R&D Program
 DOE is committed to apply lessons learned from Fukushima to develop even
safer nuclear plants
 R&D to make reactors more accident tolerant initiated:
– Fuel, Instrumentation and Controls, Batteries

15. 15
High temperature
during loss of active
cooling
Slower Hydrogen Generation Rate
• Hydrogen bubble
• Hydrogen explosion
• Hydrogen embrittlement of the
clad
Improved Cladding
Properties
• Clad fracture
• Geometric stability
• Thermal shock resistance
• Melting of the cladding
Improved Fuel Properties
• Lower operating
temperatures
• Clad internal oxidation
• Fuel relocation / dispersion
• Fuel melting
Enhanced Retention of Fission Products
• Gaseous fission products
• Solid/liquid fission products
Improved Reaction
Kinetics with Steam
• Heat of oxidation
• Oxidation rate
Behaviors of Accident Tolerant Fuels &
Fuel and Cladding at High Temperatures

16. 16
Materials With Slower Oxidation Kinetics
Offer Larger Margins of Safety
• Materials with slower oxidation kinetics in steam (~ 2 orders of magnitude or less)
delay rapid cladding degradation
Fuel exposed after
24hrs of cooling
Relative to Zr
oxidation kinetics
*Slide provided by Oak Ridge National Lab*

17. 17
Nuclear Energy University Programs
 The Nuclear Energy University Programs
(NEUP) and the Integrated University
Program (IUP) have a well established
competitive process for awarding R&D,
infrastructure and
scholarships/fellowships.
 The Office of Science and Technology
Innovation will continue implementing this
competitive process and will expand to
incorporate it into all competitive
research. Since FY09, NEUP has awarded
$238M to 83 schools in 34 States
and the District of Columbia.
 The NE R&D Programs are the cognizant technical managers of these competitive
R&D awards and therefore play in integral role in the success of each project.
 Universities and Industry are strongly encouraged to actively engage and collaborate with the
associated NE R&D programs.
10
UA
ASU
U of A
UC, Irvine
CSULB
UCLA
UCSB
UC,
Berkeley
UC, Davis
CU
CSM
CSU
GW
UFL
GIT
ISU
BSU
U of I
MC
U of I
IIT
NU
Purdue
ND
KSU
UK
BU
UML
UMD
JHU
UMN
U-M
MST
MU
MSU
ASU
NCSU
UNC-CH
UNM
UNLV
UNR
AU
CCNY
Hunter College
RPI
SU
SUNY, Stony Brook
MIT
CSU CWRU
OSU
WU
UC
OSU
PSU
Pitt
Drexel
URI
CU
FMU
SCSU MTC
USC
UTK
UT, Austin
Texas A&M
UH
UT, Dallas
UT, Arlington
USU
UU
VT
VCU
UW
WSU
CBC
LTC
UW-Madison
SDSU Rochester
Dartmouth
UTPB
VU

18. 18
Integrated Research Projects
 2013: Simulation of Neutron Damage for High Dose Exposure of Advanced Reactor
Materials Award Announcement Pending (September 2013)
Previous IRP Awards:
 2012: Inherently Safe Reactors
Georgia Institute of Technology – Integral Inherently Safe Light Water Reactor - (Italy, UK)
 2012: Accident Tolerant Fuels
Univ. of Tennessee – Advanced Accident-Tolerant Ceramic Coatings for Zr-Alloy Cladding
(Australia, UK)
 2012: Accident Tolerant Fuels
Univ. of Illinois, Urbana Champaign – Engineered Zircaloy Cladding Modifications for
Improved Accident Tolerance of LWR Nuclear Fuel - (UK)
 2011: Accelerated Aging of Used Nuclear Fuel in Storage
Texas A&M University Fuel Aging in Storage and Transportation:
Accelerated Characterization and Performance Assessment
of the Used Nuclear Fuel Storage System
 2011: Advanced Thermal Reactor Concepts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
High-Temperature Salt-Cooled Reactor for Power and Process Heat

19. 19
Sanmen – June 2013
Source: SNPTC
Vogtle – August 2013
Source: Georgia Power Co.
Summer – June 2013
Source: SCE&G
Global Demand for
Nuclear Energy Continues
Haiyang – June 2013
Source: State Nuclear Power Engineering Feng Qingyi
Wang Jinjie.

20. 20
Global Energy Distribution
as indicated by nighttime electricity use