The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Lab Receives Record Awards in Department of Energy Funding

The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (NRL) operates the only research reactor in the State of Ohio, and it is recognized in the nuclear field for its unique capabilities and expertise in performing irradiation to investigate important sensor material for reactor applications. The laboratory gained another badge of honor when it received a record total of three awards from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the latest round of funding.

NRL was one of only three university recipients in the DOE’s Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) program receiving Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research (CINR) awards, and the only recipient to receive two CINR awards. As two of only three awarded projects in the Joint Research and Development with NSUF Access category, these projects will investigate important sensor material for reactor applications using NRL high-temperature in-pile irradiation capabilities:

• “Irradiation of Optical Components of In-Situ Laser Spectroscopic Sensors for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Systems” Investigator: Dr. Igor Jovanovic (University of Michigan), Co-investigators: Dr. Piyush Sabharwall (Idaho National Laboratory) and Dr. Paul Marotta, (Micro Nuclear LLC)

• “High Fluence Active Irradiation and Combined Effects Testing of Sapphire Optical Fiber Distributed Temperature Sensors” Investigator: Joshua Daw (Idaho National Lab), Co-investigators: Dr. Thomas Blue (The Ohio State University) and Dr. Christian Petrie (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

It is especially significant to note that these awards come on the heels of NRL receiving one of four CINR awards during 2018 from the NSUF program:

• “Irradiation Behavior of Piezoelectric Materials for Nuclear Reactor Sensors” Investigator: Dr. Marat Khafizov (The Ohio State University), Co-investigators: Joshua Daw (Idaho National Laboratory) and Aleksandr Chernatynskiy (Missouri S&T)

The NRL’s third award is through the Scientific Infrastructure Support for Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research. A $230,000 Reactor Upgrade award will fund the replacement of the control rod drive system for the NRL research reactor.

The NRL is a unique teaching and research laboratory that delivers high-quality service to its customers and excellent instruction and research opportunities to nuclear engineering students. In 2017, the DOE designated the NRL as a partner facility of the NSUF Program, allowing awarded researchers, often in collaboration with other laboratories and industry, to perform DOE mission-supporting research at the NRL at no cost to users. Experimenters interested in utilizing NRL facilities should e-mail reactor@osu.edu.