Research on Advanced Reactors and Fusion Energy Systems at UW-Madison

Abstract:

This talk will give an overview of a few different projects at UW-Madison on advanced fission and fusion reactor technology development at UW-Madison. Firstly, an irregular design of PWR assembly is introduced, which allows the number of pins to be increased while maintaining backward compatibility, hence facilitating core uprates. Secondly, a molten chloride salt-fueled fission fusion hybrid reactor for minor actinide transmutation is introduced, from a project now funded by ARPA-E. Finally, an overview of a new center-level collaboration in fusion technology development led by UW-Madison is introduced, which features development and testing of fusion blanket materials using a fusion neutron source.

Bio:

Dr Ben Lindley is an Assistant Professor in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at UW-Madison. His current research focusses on the computational modelling, design & development of fission and fusion energy systems. Ben holds a joint faculty appointment at Argonne National Laboratory and co-founded Realta Fusion, a UW-Madison spinout aiming to commercialize fusion energy. Ben holds a PhD in Nuclear Engineering and MEng & BA degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cambridge, UK (2007-2014).