A beryllium oxide (BeO) nuclear fuels research collaboration between Texas A&M University, the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), Purdue University and IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. has been selected to receive the Significant Contribution Award from the Materials Science and Technology Division of the American Nuclear Society (ANS).
The research team members are Dr. Sean McDeavitt (pictured), Dr. Jean Ragusa, Michael Naramore and Robert Miller from Texas A&M and TEES; Shripad Revankar and Alvin Solomon from Purdue; and James Malone from IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. The team is being recognized for its paper, "Introducing a High Thermal Conductivity UO2-BeO Nuclear Fuel Concept."
"I am honored to receive this award from the American Nuclear Society," said McDeavitt, Texas A&M’s lead researcher. "It is gratifying to receive peer recognition and affirmation for the quality and direction of our nuclear fuels research. The whole team at Texas A&M and Purdue is looking forward to continuing our relationship with IBC as we advance this exciting technology to the next phase and hopefully closer to a commercial reality."
IBC says the company is committed to its BeO enhanced nuclear fuel research with Purdue and Texas A&M, which is focused on developing a high thermal conductivity nuclear fuel for both current and future nuclear power reactors. The aim of the research is to develop a commercial application of the fuel that is more efficient and safer than existing nuclear fuels and also to increase downstream demand for beryllium oxide.