Chemists net $3 million for global nuclear energy study.
A research team led by Washington State University chemistry professor Kenneth Nash was recently awarded a $3 million, three-year grant by the Department of Energy (DOE) to pursue nuclear energy research.
The WSU team will focus on developing chemical separations needed to institute nuclear fuel reprocessing in the United States. This will involve developing the separations needed to remove isotopes that poison the nuclear reactions that release the needed energy.
Research to focus on energy efficiency, uranium re-use
“For example, used fuel, which is currently disposed of in the United States after a single use in a reactor in what is called an open fuel cycle, would be reprocessed to extract out a significant fraction of re-useable uranium. Thus, only those isotopes that reduce the efficiency of the nuclear fuel would be disposed of, creating a closed fuel cycle,” said Sue Clark, a research team member and chair of WSU's Department of Chemistry in the College of Sciences.
The WSU researchers are one of eleven university-led teams across the nation selected to conduct cooperative research projects under the DOE’s Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI). The grants engage professors and students in advanced nuclear fuel cycle research and development in support of President Bush’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP)--an important part of the U.S. Energy Act--and his American Competitiveness Initiative. The NERI grants will total up to $30 million nationwide during the three years.
Funds also support workshops for students, faculty
A portion of the grant will be used to host an annual workshop designed for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty from collaborating institutions and a summer school course for any U.S. undergraduates interested in the field.
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