INL PROGRAMS

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I

n 1949, the U.S. Atomic

Energy Commission

established the National

Reactor Testing Station – now

known as Idaho National

Laboratory (INL) – to take on

the top-priority mission of

harnessing the power of the

atom for peaceful applications.

In the years that followed,

thousands of world-class

scientists and engineers made

Idaho their home, and devoted

time a nuclear reactor

powered an entire U.S.

community.

• The Advanced Test Reactor,

one of the world’s most

consistently updated and

capable materials test

reactors, became one of the

two primary reactors in the

Nuclear Programs

Nuclear Power Pioneers

their careers to advancing

the state of the art in nuclear

research and development.

The results of their labors are

legendary.

• In 1951, Experimental

Breeder Reactor I produced the first usable

amounts of electricity

from nuclear power.

• In 1955, the Borax-III

reactor provided electricity

to Arco, Idaho – the first

Unique facilities and

innovative scientists and

engineers have long kept

Idaho at the forefront of

nuclear energy research,

development and

demonstration.
INL PROGRAMS

nation used to produce lifesaving medical and industrial radioisotopes.

• The laboratory developed

prototype nuclear propulsion

plants for Navy submarines

and aircraft carriers.

Over the years, INL’s mission

broadened into areas such as

biotechnology, energy and

materials research, and waste

treatment and cleanup of Cold

War-era sites. Today, INL is

focused on meeting the

nation’s energy, nuclear

technology, science, and

national and homeland

security needs.

Advanced Nuclear

Energy Research

INL is designated as the

nation’s lead laboratory for

nuclear energy research and

development because of its

unique history, infrastructure,

expertise and partnerships. The

work at INL has improved

medical care, strengthened

national and homeland

security, and helped the United

States develop safe, reliable

and affordable nuclear power

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that provides one-fifth of our

electricity without generating

greenhouse gases. INL’s

activities include:

Nuclear design and

engineering

• Researching and developing

Generation IV nuclear

technology, which has the

potential to generate

reliable base-load electricity

when the sun’s not shining

and the wind’s not blowing,

as well as hydrogen for

fuel-cell automobiles

• Advancing analyses to

improve nuclear plant

operations and safety as

well as licensing and

regulatory processes

• Working on technologies to

reduce the quantity and

hazard of used nuclear fuel

and high-level waste as part

of the U.S. Department of

$

Generation I

Generation II

Generation III

Generation IV Nuclear power has developed

in stages, and INL has been –

and continues to be – actively

involved in the required

design, development and

testing in each of these

‘generations.’

Safe, pelletized fuel is being

researched as a potential fuel

form for advanced nuclear

power systems.

The Nuclear Power 2010

program is evaluating

advanced light-water reactors

for near-term deployment.
INL PROGRAMS

Medical technologies

• Helping develop boron

neutron capture therapy

techniques to treat cancer

and alleviate pain

• Producing isotopes to

power highly specialized

radiosurgery devices

• Calibrating important

medical diagnostic equipment

Homeland security

• Developing technologies to

scan shipping containers to

detect smuggled nuclear

materials

• Developing technologies to

remotely detect explosives

without putting people or

bomb-sniffing dogs in

harm’s way

• Refining INL-developed

technology to determine the

amount and type of chemical agent in shells and other

containers suspected of

containing hazardous

materials

Space technologies

• Developing nuclearpowered generators and

heaters (a.k.a. “space

batteries”) for NASA’s deep

space missions

Infrastructure

INL’s unique physical assets

allow it to be an international

leader in nuclear energy

technology research and

development. The laboratory

has three major facility areas:

• Materials and Fuels Complex

• Reactor Technology

Complex

Energy’s (DOE) Advanced

Fuel Cycle initiative

• Supporting the Nuclear

Power 2010 program, a

government-industry

partnership to evaluate and

enable the deployment of

new nuclear power plants in

the United States by the

close of the decade

• Science and Technology

Campus

The Materials and Fuels

Complex includes the Hot Fuel

Examination, Fuel Conditioning, and Fuel Manufacturing

facilities; the Zero-Power

Physics Reactor; Fuel Assembly and Storage Building; and

the new Space and Security

Power Systems Facility.

The Reactor Technology

Complex is anchored by the

Advanced Test Reactor, the

world’s premier nuclear test

reactor. The complex also

features the Advanced Test

Reactor-Critical Facility; Hot

Cell Facility; Radiation

Measurements Laboratory;

Radiochemistry Laboratory;

and the Safety and Tritium

Applied Research Facility – a

national fusion safety user

facility.

The Science and Technology

Campus is anchored by the

INL Research Center, and

includes High Temperature

Continued next page

Nuclear technology is being

employed in a variety of national

security and medical

applications.

The Very-High Temperature

Reactor, with its ability to

efficiently produce hydrogen,

is one of six promising

Gen-IV technologies being

researched.

Nuclear-powered electrical

generators and heaters have

been developed for NASA to

support key science

missions, such as Cassini.
INL PROGRAMS

05-GA50464-05

A U.S. Department of Energy

National Laboratory

Teri Ehresman

(208) 526-7785

Teri.Ehresman@inl.gov

http://nuclear.inl.gov

For more information:

Continued from previous page

Electrolysis and materials

laboratories and the new

Center for Advanced Energy

Studies (CAES).

Meeting America’s

Energy Needs

The CAES, which opened its

doors in June 2005, is designed

to advance energy research,

technology and engineering

education, fostering innovations to meet the nation’s

energy needs. The CAES will

focus on nuclear energy

technology development,

helping prepare the future

researchers, designers, builders

and operators of a revitalized

nuclear power sector.

The CAES is a collaborative

venture among DOE, the state

of Idaho, the Idaho University

Consortium, the National

University Consortium,

Battelle Energy Alliance, and

INL. It will play a key role in

U.S. and global energy

research programs, structured

around four main areas:

• Center for Nuclear Fuels

and Materials Research

• Center for Space Nuclear

Research

• Center for Nuclear Systems

Design and Analysis

• Center for Advanced

Modeling and Simulation

These comprehensive efforts,

combined with INL’s other

research and development

programs, are significantly

advancing America’s interests

in energy, economic and

national security.

The laboratory has three major facility areas: Materials and Fuels

Complex (top), Reactor Technology Complex (middle), and Science

and Technology Campus (bottom).