$3 million granted toward MU's nuclear research

By Ettie Berneking

Published Oct. 12, 2007

The federal government awarded a grant to the MU Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute that has put the university on the map for nuclear research.

As part of a three-year consortium, MU engineers will work with faculty members from North Carolina State University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Researchers will focus on the advancement of energy systems for high temperature reactors, also called Generation IV

reactors.

The US Department of Energy created a nationwide research development competition under the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative and President George Bush's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership program.

The DOE played host to a nationwide competition in which universities from across the United States offered research proposals to develop nuclear reactors.

This was a highly competitive contest, said Robert Tompson, associate professor of nuclear engineering and one of MU's co-sponsors for the university's proposal.

"This is really a recognition by the federal government that MU is one of the premier institutions in the country doing research on high temp reactors," Tompson said.

MU's proposal focused on Generation IV reactors. It was selected by the DOE, which awarded MU a research grant of $3 million.

Research will focus on the transportation of radioactive material through other materials, Tompson said.

MU's role in the DOE's research project offers both students and faculty an opportunity to take part in research that will affect future

generations.

"What we will be doing will affect the upcoming nuclear energy," graduate student Annie Hsu said.

For students in the institute, this grant puts them ahead in the job market, institute Research Director Mark Prelas said.

"This gives our students a leg up in cutting-edge research and makes them more marketable," he said.

There is a shortage of nuclear engineers entering the work force, so the grant gives additional knowledge to MU students who will be right at the top of their field, he said.

Generation IV reactors differ from power plants used today in that they are not only nuclear powered, but they also operate at a much higher

temperature.

Today's reactors operate at hundreds of degrees, but Generation IV reactors would be designed to operate at

thousands.

Prelas said Generation IV reactors produce no greenhouse gases.

Powered by nuclear fuel rather than fossil fuel, they are environmentally and economically friendly, he said.

An average reactor operates at about 33 percent efficiency, while a nuclear reactor operates at around 56 percent, Prelas said.

For a world run on fossil fuels such as coal and oil, the advancement of nuclear reactors is a step toward the "next generation" of fuel.

According to Tompson, two-thirds of US energy output is used on transportation.

The research at MU will help develop alternative energy that can be used to power cars, wall outlets and everyday

devices.

A lot of carbon dioxide has been produced in the last few years, Tompson said.

"The problem is we are still burning coal and oil," he said. "We are going to be looking at a problem if we don't stop right now."

Tompson said both the federal government and the public are putting a "frantic" emphasis on the development of nuclear power because of the limited oil and coal supply.

"This is a money-driven project," he said.