Past Voucher Awards
The successes and significant contributions of past GAIN NE voucher recipients have real-world impacts on our energy future. GAIN is proud to provide these nuclear innovators with a single point of access to the broad range of capabilities — people, facilities, materials, and data — across the Department of Energy’s complex and its National Lab capabilities.
Past Voucher Recipients
Categories
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Design-Enabling Nuclear Data Evaluation
OrganiCore will partner with ORNL to leverage its Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), machine-learning-enabled molecular dynamics capabilities, and prior successful TSL validation work for reactor materials to generate and validate the required nuclear data. The project will create critical-path nuclear data needed to support the design, safety analysis, and licensing of organic-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs).
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Domestic Uranium Conversion by a Zero-F2 Process
Raven-Flint will work with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to develop an integrated mass-balance, MC&A, and supporting stream-characterization for the Raven-Flint pilot plant. This will utilize INLs operating-scale UF₆ conversion expertise and advanced radiochemistry and analytical capabilities. INL’s combination of subject-matter expertise, radiological authority, and analytical instrumentation enables the development of NRC-credible MC&A and stream-characterization methodologies…
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Overcoming the Material-Growth Barrier for Fabrication
Srijan will work with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to grow thick-film hBN using carbon-free precursors such as boron tribromide and borazine, enabling the material quality needed for neutron detector applications. SNL possesses specialized chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor facilities and expertise in carbon-free hBN epitaxial growth that are unavailable commercially and the laboratory’s advanced characterization…
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Investigating Moisture Carryover Behavior
Constellation proposes to partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to apply high-fidelity multiphysics modeling and high-performance computing to improve predictive understanding of MCO phenomena. ORNL will utilize the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) and complementary computational fluid dynamics simulations to analyze historical operating cycles and identify core- and bundle-level mechanisms driving carryover.
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Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis Support
NANO proposes to partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to apply the SCALE/TSUNAMI code suite to quantify the impact of nuclear data, modeling assumptions, and operational parameters on key reactor physics metrics, including reactivity, power distribution, and temperature coefficients. ORNL’s NRC-recognized analytical tools and expertise will enable development of a validated UQ framework tailored…
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Verification of Autonomous Operation and Remote Monitoring Capabilities
NuCube proposes to partner with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to verify an autonomous control architecture using a Digital Twin of the DeccaCell reactor. ANL will adapt its existing autonomous operation and diagnostics framework to demonstrate automated startup, remote monitoring, islanding-mode transitions, and predictive maintenance within a validated simulation environment. The project will generate a technically…
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High-Temperature Pipe Wall-Thickness Detection System
Nuclear AI will partner with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to utilize the capabilities for the Nondestructive Evaluation Unit of the Engineering Materials group. PNNL will use high-temperature furnace infrastructure, ultrasonic PZT sensor components, and high precision prototyping equipment to demonstrate the efficacy of a high temperature pipe wall thickness detector. The ability to perform…
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Development of High-Purity Graphite Matrix for Nuclear TRISO Fuel
Orbia Fluor will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to produce and test Orbia produced purified graphite feedstock for use in nuclear applications. ORNL has unique capabilities for TRISO relevant graphite matrix fabrication, machining, and nuclear materials testing under qualified procedures. Under this project, Orbia will produce purified feedstock powders and graphite matrix with…
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Modeling of Realistic Spatially Resolved 3D TRISO Particles in Compact
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has developed state-of-the-art modeling and simulation tools for advanced TRISO particle-based fuels using BISON code. AT will partner with INL to extend the BISON fuel-performance code so it can practically model 3D TRISO particle distributions in UCO TRISO compacts, capturing particle–particle and particle–matrix interactions needed for supporting commercial operations of BWXT’s…
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AI-Guided Fuel Management for a 12-Unit Small Modular Nuclear Plant
NuScale will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to utilize the artificial intelligence (AI) enabled nuclear design framework for the 12-reactor design challenge by strategically exploring the vast design space and reducing the computational time required for the reactor simulations. ORNL has significant expertise in AI, fuel management, and computational resources. Reduced front end…
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EnergyHQ Advanced Nuclear Reactor and Data Center Colocation
EnergyHQ will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The project will use the Oak Ridge Siting Analysis for power Generation Expansion (OR-SAGE) tool to supplement EnergyHQ’s existing criteria for siting data centers. The result will be the identification of multiple sites, which are technology-agnostic, that could support site selection strategies for data centers. EnergyHQ…
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Adding Nuclear to the Mix: Feasibility Study
CSU will partner with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for techno-economic analysis with decision modeling and with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the water availability and optimal usage analyses. The study will also assess the feasibility and application of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the CSU service territory.
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Recycling Nuclear Waste into a Strategic Asset
Zeno will partner with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to demonstrate the capabilities of a pyro-aqueous hybrid strontium separation process to provide technical data for Zeno to explore scale up in support of Zeno’s RPS designs. ANL’s Chemical and Fuel Cycle Technologies (CFCT) division have extensive experience in developing separation technologies for UNF recycling, in addition…
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Thermophysical Property Measurements of NaCl-KCl-UCl3
TerraPower will partner with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to generate NQA-1 qualifiable and traceable thermophysical property data for Beginning of Life (BOL) and simulated End of Life (EOL) ternary fuel salts. ANL has proven expertise in molten salt thermophysical measurement under NQA-1 standards. These results will directly inform reactor and component design, thermal hydraulic modeling,…