MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Our fission program has had a long and distinguished history of contributions to worldwide development of nuclear power. We have achieved this by developing the methods and concepts subsequently adopted by industry for design and operation of nuclear plants, by introducing curriculum innovations and text-books utilized by nuclear engineering departments throughout the world, and by educating leaders in industry, government, and academia in the United States and internationally. We maintain strong collaborations with industry and have been the recipient of two full professorships endowed by major utilities in Asia. Today, after a long hiatus in the United States, government and industry are once again engaged in nuclear energy development. The international Generation IV reactor development initiative has been embraced by the U.S. administration and policy makers. Construction of a prototype next-generation power plant for hydrogen production is under consideration. Nuclear utilities, benefiting from the profitability of existing nuclear plants, are evaluating the economic feasibility of new construction. Our fission faculty have participated extensively in associated high-level national policy review and planning activities, including the DOE-led effort to conceptualize the systems for the nuclear energy renaissance, and the NRC’s effort to develop an innovative regulatory system for these new technologies.
We have formed the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems to coordinate the research initiatives in this area which have grown substantially in the past five years. We expect to lead in the conceptualization and development of specific nuclear energy systems suitable for large-scale deployment. These systems include the reactor, its energy conversion plant and the associated fuel cycle facilities, including waste transportation and disposal systems necessary for both open and closed fuel cycles. Our recent history of such contributions includes conceptualization of a number of advanced reactor concepts and fuel cycle strategies. We will continue to propose novel concepts and make innovative contributions to nuclear systems that industry and government select for development.
Our activities are also directed at the support of existing nuclear power plants of which over 100 are operating in the U.S. The overwhelming majority of these are expected to have their operating licenses extended for 20 more years. The issues for these plants toward which our research is directed are equipment aging, still greater safety, human reliability and risk analysis as well as enhanced economic performance through higher power density cores.
