Articles
Articles
Announcing the 2025 NSUF New User Development Workshop on Irradiation Testing
2025 Nuclear Science User Facilities New User Development Workshop on Irradiation Testing May 19-22 at Idaho National Laboratory Idaho Falls, Idaho Come explore new possibilities in the field of nuclear fuels and materials research! The Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) program office is excited to announce the 2025 New User Development Workshop on Irradiation Testing. This event is for student and faculty researchers eager to expand their expertise in the cutting-edge field of nuclear materials science and engineering. Nuclear materials and irradiation testing benefits from a wide range of technical backgrounds, including but not limited to:Chemical engineering Chemistry Computer science and engineering Materials engineering Materials science Mechanical engineering Nuclear engineering Physics *The NSUF program office may give special consideration to applicants from minority serving institutions.
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The first Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) call for fiscal year 2025 is now open
The first Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) call for fiscal year 2025 is now openProposals must be submitted by 4 p.m. MT Oct. 31, 2024.This award process offers an avenue for researchers to perform irradiation effects studies of limited scope on nuclear fuels and materials of interest utilizing NSUF facilities. Completion of RTE projects is expected within 9 months of award. Prospective researchers are strongly encouraged to request samples from the NSUF Nuclear Fuels and Materials Library.RTE proposals are typically solicited and awarded three times per year. They are reviewed and evaluated for technical merit, relevancy and feasibility. The number of awards is dependent on the availability of funding. Further explanation
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Wednesday, September 25, 2024
RTENSUF awards 19 Rapid Turnaround Experiments
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy awarded 19 Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) projects Sept. 23. The 2024 third call RTE awards, totaling approximately $1 million, were granted to 19 principal investigators from different institutions including universities and industry. Each project supports the advancement of nuclear energy. These RTE projects aim to enhance the understanding of material behavior under irradiation, which is crucial for the development of more resilient materials for nuclear applications. Research topics covered in this call include irradiation effects on high entropy carbide ceramics, multi-principal element alloys, zirconium alloys, reactor pressure vessel steels, steel cladding, ceramic-based wasteforms and structural characterization of irradiated metallic
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New NSUF secure login process
As of Sept. 9, the Nuclear Science User Facilities will implement a more secure login process for website users. This change will require additional steps in the login process. To log in to your NSUF account, you must download an authenticator application to your mobile device.After entering your login information on the NSUF website, you must open your authenticator application, click the add button and select “Scan QR Code” (the QR code works with all two-factor authenticator systems, such as Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, OKTA, etc.).After scanning the QR code, select the “Next” button and enter the temporary six-digit passcode generated from your authenticator application. Questions? Contact us at [email protected].
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NSUF awards 13 new Super Rapid Turnaround Experiments
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy awarded the first 13 Nuclear Science User Facilities Super Rapid Turnaround Experiment (Super RTE) projects. Each project supports the advancement of nuclear energy. The 2024 Super RTE awards, totaling approximately $1.8 million, were granted to seven principal investigators from universities, one principal investigator from industry and five scientists from national laboratories.The Super RTE, which opened for the first time April 1, is a user access award process that offers an avenue for researchers to perform a broader scope of irradiation effects studies (i.e., more samples and more access time at Nuclear Science User Facilities partner institutions) than the traditional RTE
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Monday, March 11, 2024
Calls and AwardsNEW! Super RTE Call for Proposals
NSUF is pleased to announce the first ever Super Rapid Turnaround Experiment (Super RTE) call for proposals coming April 1, 2024. What is a Super RTE? More fundingMore time Greater accessThe first Super RTE call for proposals will open April 1 and will close on April 30 at 4 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. The Super RTE call will function similarly to the traditional RTE solicitations but will encourage larger award amounts allowing greater work scopes to be performed. Awards are anticipated to allow twice as many days of access to any NSUF facility or capability. The award process offers an avenue for researchers to perform irradiation effects studies of limited
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First innovative NuScale experiment cycle completed, en route to post-irradiation examination
By Alexis Starks, NSUF at Idaho National Laboratory In a major step towards commercial, small modular reactor deployment, progress is being made in testing new materials for NuScale's small modular reactor lower containment vessel. In 2019, NuScale Power LLC received access to Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor and Westinghouse Churchill Laboratory Services through the Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) as part of the Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research program. The arrangement allowed NuScale to obtain irradiation data on F6NM, a martensitic stainless steel, with the intent of using F6NM for its lower containment vessel as part of the NuScale power module design for small modular reactors. (Left to right) Idaho National Laboratory
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Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Users GroupNSUF welcomes 2024 Users Organization Executive Committee
By Alexis Starks, NSUF at Idaho National LaboratoryOur Nuclear Science User Facilities leadership is proud to introduce the 2024 Users Organization executive committee: Chair Maria Okuniewski from Purdue University, Vice Chair Stephen Taller from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Secretary Ramprashad Prabhakaran from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Student Representative Malachi Nelson from Idaho National Laboratory. “I am excited to work with a group of such talented and experienced NSUF users with a diverse representation from national laboratories, academia and industry,” said Chair Maria Okuniewski.” This year there was overwhelming support and interest from the community for the Users Group Executive Board. This engagement will allow for continued sustainability within the community.” As stated
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Argonne launches Activated Materials Laboratory at Advanced Photon Source
By Alexis Starks, NSUF at Idaho National Laboratory Last year, NSUF welcomed a new addition to the nuclear materials community. The Activated Materials Laboratory (AML), a new radiological facility at Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source (APS), has recently been developed to assist in examining radioactive samples at the High-Energy X-ray Microscope and other APS beamlines.In November 2023, Argonne National Laboratory and NSUF hosted a workshop at the new facility to introduce upgrade capabilities and showcase applications of high-energy X-rays in nuclear materials research and other fields. The workshop also helped researchers identify suitable X-ray techniques for critical problems, such as
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Monday, January 15, 2024
Facility HighlightOutside looking in: Remote capabilities at Research Collaboration Building improve ease of research
By Paul Menser, Idaho National Laboratory Communications The Research Collaboration Building at Idaho National Laboratory's Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) now offers remote operating system capabilities. This enhancement provides researchers with easier access to select instruments within the Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory (IMCL), a key resource for high-demand instruments such as the plasma focused ion beam and transmission electron microscopes. The Research Collaboration Building serves as a landing spot, collaborative working space, and training area for a growing number of students, visiting researchers and postdoctoral researchers engaged in work at MFC. Completed in 2019, the building features 28 offices for researchers, staff members
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About Us
The Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) is the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's only designated nuclear energy user facility. Through peer-reviewed proposal processes, the NSUF provides researchers access to neutron, ion, and gamma irradiations, post-irradiation examination and beamline capabilities at Idaho National Laboratory and a diverse mix of university, national laboratory and industry partner institutions.
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