NSUF Article

NSUF awards 27 Rapid Turnaround Experiment proposals

Monday, February 5, 2024 - Calls and Awards, RTE



Last updated 2/29/2024

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) has awarded 27 proposals to support the advancement of nuclear science and technology by providing access to world class capabilities at no cost to the researcher. This is the first award for fiscal year 2024.

27 new Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) projects, totaling approximately $1.46 million, have been awarded. These awards went to 11 principle investigators from universities, including three international universities, and 16 principal investigators from national laboratories. 


FY24 First RTE Call Awards

PI NameInstitutionTitle
Fei TengIdaho National LaboratoryDevelopment of an Experimental-Simulation Benchmarking Database for Irradiation-Enhanced Long Range Ordering in Ni-Cr-Mo alloys
Nance EricsonOak Ridge National LaboratoryIrradiation of GaN HEMTs and SiC JFETs for Near Core Rad-hard Electronics
Sobhan PatnaikIdaho National LaboratoryAdvanced characterization of irradiated FAST rodlets using Transmission Electron Microscopy and Atom Probe Tomography
Robert OkojieNASA Glenn REsearch CenterReliability Assessment of Irradiated Integrated Silicon Carbide Pressure/Temperature Sensors for Lunar Fission Surface Power Reactor
Kourtney WrightIdaho National LaboratoryFuel - Cladding Chemical Interaction of U10Zr Fuel and HT-9 Cladding Using in situ Heated TEM
Sneha Prabha NarraCarnegie Mellon UniversityInvestigating the evolution of M23C6 and MX-type precipitates in additively manufactured Grade 91 steel under high temperature simultaneous and sequential stress and irradiation
Mohammad Umar Farooq KhanUniversity of MichiganInvestigating the effect of Te embrittlement and depleted Uranium on IN617 in molten salt conditions
Md Ali MuntahaPurdue UniversityPhase Field Modeling of Irradiation-Induced Crystallization in Amorphous Nuclear Oxides
Weicheng ZhongOak Ridge National LaboratoryRadiation Tolerance of MX-Type Precipitates Revealed Through In-Situ Ion Irradiations
Sukanya MajumderPurdue UniversityIn-Situ TEM Characterization of Ion-Irradiated U-10Mo Alloys at Sub-Eutectoid Temperatures
Di ChenIdaho National LaboratoryPost-Irradiation Analysis of U-Pu-Zr Fuel Incorporating Am and Np Actinides: Fuel-Cladding Interactions in EBR-II and Advanced Microscopic Examination
Timothy LachOak Ridge National LaboratoryCo-Location of Solute Clusters and Dislocations in Additively Manufactured 316L Stainless Steels
Hi VoLos Alamos National LaboratoryDislocation-precipitate interaction under irradiation - in situ TEM nanomechanical testing during heavy ion irradiation
Carlo MapelliPolitecnico di MilanoInnovations in Austenitic Manganese Steels for Nuclear Applications: Insights from In-Situ TEM Irradiation Experiments at the IVEM Facility
Rashed AlmasriNorth Carolina State UniversityIn-situ irradiation of ZrC and ZrN above 800 C
Jasmyne EmersonPurdue UniversityPhase Characterization of Neutron Irradiated Surveillance Reactor Pressure Vessel Welds
Maxim GussevOak Ridge National LaboratoryThe effect of radiation temperature on H/He core-shell structures in nuclear structural materials
Cheng SunClemson UniversityPhase stability of partially-stabilized-zirconia under irradiation
Chinthaka SilvaPacific Northwest National LaboratoryAn evaluation of effects of ion irradiation on crystal, mechanical, and microstructural properties of Alloy 709
Fabio Di FonzoIstituto Italiano di TecnologiaStudy of the behavior under ion irradiation of amorphous oxide protective coatings developed for lead fast reactors
Stephen TallerOak Ridge National LaboratoryThe Role of Dislocation Cell Walls on Cavity Nucleation in Additively Manufactured 316H Steel
Maria KosmidouLos Alamos National LaboratoryIrradiation performance of defective Uranium Mononitride: The role of impurities in the defect accumulation using in-situ TEM ion irradiation
Geeta KumariOak Ridge National LaboratoryEvolution of Heterogeneous 316LSS Microstructures Under Neutron Irradiation
Ahmed Alade TiamiyuUniversity of CalgaryRadiation behavior of grain boundary-decorated nanocrystalline high-entropy alloy
Sarah HamiltonIdaho National LaboratoryHigh Resolution Studies of Uranium Mononitride/Zirconium Carbide Composites for Advanced Fuels Applications
Fei XuIdaho National LaboratoryAdvanced characterization to identify phases formed of irradiated annular U-4Pd-13Zr fuel
Riley MoeykensMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnderstanding the effects of proton irradiation and air oxidation in Cr alloyed UB2 at high temperatures by synchrotron X‐ray scattering


NSUF competitively selected these projects from a pool of quality RTE proposals submitted during the solicitation period. Proposals were evaluated based on a variety of factors including technical approach, mission relevance and scientific-technical merit. NSUF recipients do not receive direct financial awards. Access to state of the art experimental irradiation testing, post irradiation examination, Idaho National Laboratory high performance computing, and technical assistance for the design and execution of projects is provided at no cost to the recipients.

Prospective researchers are encouraged to request samples from the Nuclear Fuels and Materials Library. NSUF will give special consideration to principal investigators from minority serving institutions. NSUF, managed by Idaho National Laboratory, provides unparalleled opportunities for nuclear energy researchers. Through the RTE solicitation, researchers can access capabilities such as irradiation, post-irradiation examination, beamline and high performance computing equipment. RTEs are also accompanied with the expertise necessary to advance the understanding of irradiation effects in nuclear fuels and materials in support of DOE-NE’s mission.

The next RTE call has opened and will close on February 29 at 4 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST). NSUF endeavors to balance the distribution of funds in a single call to impact a broad group of researchers. To do so, NSUF may limit the number of awards to a single partner, a single institution, a single research group, self-applications, awards to non-US institutions, and may decline proposals with very large budgets out of proportion to the guidelines. NSUF may award CAES-only or HPC-only applications, even if their scores are below the threshold for the RTE call. NSUF may also restrict awards to applicants who have a poor record of completing awarded RTEs within the nine-month period and/or have a poor record of timely publication and/or acknowledgment of NSUF-funded research.


Click here to find current and past awards. Learn more about NSUF awards and resources at https://nsuf.inl.gov



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