Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new material that could replace expensive nickel alloys in nuclear reactors.
The US has set a target to produce 100 percent of its electricity using renewable energy sources by 2035, and nuclear power will play a major role in its clean energy transition.
A big issue with nuclear reactors is their dependency on nickel-based alloys, which are expensive and are abundantly found in countries that are not always on good terms with the US. Moreover, the high moisture content of nickel ore poses transport challenges as well.‘s Argonne National Laboratory have developed a framework to find material that could replace these nickel-based alloys. Using their framework, the AGL team identified and tested some promising materials.
This is why nickel-based alloys are used as a protective coating for different components of a nuclear reactor. the fuel rods used in a reactor. The cladding serves as a barrier to contain radioactive materials and shield the fuel from coolant. “With this new framework, we have more input from multi-physics simulations to make sure each iteration gives enough improvement. We make sure each change would be beneficial and that helps us speed up the optimization procedure,”It basically involves performing repeated experiments and testing until an optimized solution is found. For instance, using the framework, the researchers identified a material that could work as an alternative to nickel-based alloys.
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