Title:

MIT Study on the Future of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World

Speaker:

Dr. David Petti

Affiliation:

Idaho National Laboratory

When:

Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 11:00:00 AM   Add to Calendar

Where:

Boggs Building, Room 3-47

Host:

Dr. S. I. Abdel-Khalik
said.abdelkhalik@me.gatech.edu

Abstract

Nuclear energy faces significant economic challenges. Many Light Water Reactors LWRs in the U.S. are not economic compared to available and inexpensive natural gas, and the U.S. and other Western nations are struggling to deliver new LWR plants on time and budget. Internationally, nuclear power is cheaper to build in Asia than in the U.S. or Europe, yet is still not as inexpensive as coal in key large growth countries like China and India. At the same time, new and revived technical designs for advanced nuclear energy systems are under development. These advanced systems offer a range of technology innovations that can potentially improve economic performance and further enhance safety. Significant opportunities for innovation can also come from technologies outside the nuclear industry such as advanced construction solutions and seismic base isolation. Further, many of these innovative nuclear energy systems have the potential to help meet the loadfollowing demands of an energy economy with a growing fraction of variable renewable energy sources. We have performed a technoeconomic evaluation of future nuclear technology options, and associated business and governance models. We have organized our results around the following five major themes: a opportunities for nuclear energy, b nuclear power plant cost, c advanced reactor technology, d business and policy models and e nuclear reactor safety regulation and licensing. Our studies results will be presented.

Biography

Dr. David Petti is a graduate of the MIT Nuclear Engineering Department and has been recognized as a Fellow at both the Idaho National Laboratory and the American Nuclear Society. Dave is the author of over 100 peer reviewed publications and 50 national and international conference proceedings in the areas of fusion safety, TRISO coated particle fuel behavior, and fission reactor safety. With over 30 years of experience in nuclear fission and fusion technology, he recently completed a Joint Appointment with MIT as the Executive Director of a study on the Future of Nuclear Power in a Carbon Constrained World. He is currently a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions Advisory Committee for Reactor Safeguards ACRS. He has also served as the Deputy Director and the US lead for Safety and Standards in the DOE Fusion Technology program. In the US Fusion Safety Program, he was responsible for and made seminal contributions to safety and risk evaluations of the ITER design, and technical leadership of safety related R&D for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor ITER project.

Notes

Refreshments will be served.