INL PROGRAMS

Science & Technology

Continued next page

The science, engineering and technologiesthat underpin INL’s

most visible missions in

energy and homeland security

are the responsibility of the

Science & Technology (S&T)

Directorate. The directorate

addresses some of the nation’s

most pressing energy issues –

including the rebirth of

nuclear energy and closing the

nuclear fuel cycle.

The directorate also focuses

its science and technology on

developing America’s hydrogen economy and alternative

fuels and energy systems. It

supports the development of

advanced energy storage and

transportation systems,

critical energy infrastructure

and water resources, and

manages the environmental

consequences of energy

development and use.

Divisions within INL’s S&T

Directorate carry out a range

of multiprogram research and

development activities with

these and other diverse

initiatives. For example,

research is being conducted in

the areas of liquefied and

compressed natural gas; highpowered batteries and ultra

capacitors; integrated fuel

processors and fuel cell

systems; renewable energy

systems; and carbon capture

and sequestration. Still other

research programs and projects

involve hazardous waste

Science

and Technology

The Science and Technology

Directorate’s more than 400

scientists and engineers apply

the energy of innovation to

some of the most daunting

science challenges of our day.
INL PROGRAMS

management and treatment;

advanced offgas treatment

systems; advanced welding

systems; surface and subsurface monitoring systems;

sustainable building design;

and autonomous unmanned

aerial and ground vehicles.

Organization and

Structure

The S&T Directorate strives

to add scientific and engineering skills to its portfolio of

energy security capabilities.

These capabilities are strategically aligned with major

research programs, and are

organized into the following

functional research and

development divisions.

• Energy & Technology

Systems – oversees work

related to the design,

function and efficient use of

fossil and renewable energy

systems, industrial and

transportation technologies,

and robotic/human systems.

Continued from previous page

• Engineering Technologies – oversees work

regarding the presence of

hazardous and radioactive

contaminants and how to

manage, minimize, treat,

package, store and protect

humans and the environment

from legacy wastes.

• Life & Earth Sciences –

answers questions about

living organisms, performs

research to improve the

understanding of chemical,

biological, and geophysical

processes in subsurface

environments, and develops

methods for identifying and

decontaminating priority

pathogens.

• Physical Sciences –

addresses questions about

the composition, properties,

structures, energy and

reactions of known and

unknown substances;

develops synthetic polymers; fabricates and tests

structural materials and

welding technologies; and

devises measurement

systems and noncontact

sensors.

Engineers use virtual engineering software to accelerate modeling

and design of structural elements and processes (below);

Scientists access world-class computational capabilities in INL’s

Center for Advanced Modeling and Simulation to view results of

complex 3D modeling (right).

S&T’s capabilities are strategically aligned with major

research programs such as

(clockwise from upper left):

• Advanced polymer research

(Physical Sciences)

• Wind energy development

(Energy & Technology

Systems)

• Structural alloy formulation

(Engineering Technologies)

• Pathogen detection (Life &

Earth Sciences)
INL PROGRAMS

• Materials and Nuclear

Fuels Science and

Technology – enhances

the function and reliability

of energy systems by

integrating physics-based

material degradation

models with validation of

performance models.

• Microbiological and

Geological Systems

Science – provides

predictable, large-scale

microbiological systems to

manage and resolve energy

and water security issues.

• Separations and

Actinide Science –

sustains the nuclear fuel

cycle by addressing economic, environmental,

safety and security issues

and applying separation and

actinide science.

Center for Advanced

Modeling and Simulation

As a significant contributor

to the science base, the

Center for Advanced Modeling and Simulation (CAMS),

Continued next page

Science Base

By conducting basic and

applied research, the directorate

develops new knowledge,

discovers characteristics and

mechanisms, understands

complex systems, and measures

and predicts behavior – the

quality of which forms the

basis of INL’s research reputation. To expand this science

base and enable technological

advances to continue, the

directorate is building vital

science programs and is leading

the effort to establish nationally

and internationally recognized

“distinctive science signatures.”

Distinctive Scientific

Signatures

The following distinctive

signatures are an integral part

of S&T’s energy security

portfolio and are used to

guide investments in science

and technology research.

• Instrumentation, Control and Intelligent

Systems – researches and

develops advanced systems

and processes to support the

next wave of power and

energy security innovation.

INL’s Distinctive Science

Signatures include (clockwise

from upper left):

• Instrumentation, Control and

Intelligent Systems

• Materials and Nuclear Fuels

Science and Technology

• Separations and Actinide

Science

• Microbiological and Geological Systems Science.
INL PROGRAMS

05-GA50464-06

A U.S. Department of Energy

National Laboratory

Reuel Smith

(208) 526-3733

Reuel.Smith@inl.gov

www.inl.gov/

scienceandtechnology

For more information:

Continued from previous page

brings together INL’s resources and those of the

National and Idaho University Consortia. Together, they

build world-class computational capabilities in modeling and simulation of advanced energy systems –

with emphasis on nuclear

energy system concepts.

Engineering Base

The Directorate is enhancing

its already successful engineering legacy to develop,

demonstrate and deploy

innovative solutions that

improve complex systems. A

key example of this expertise

is INL’s Bioenergy Program.

This major S&T program

promotes “Whole Crop

Utilization” by using the grain

and the discarded plant

material to produce food,

feed, fiber and fuel. It researches a variety of crops to

identify the genetic makeup

that impacts the cost and

quality of the biomass

throughout the phases of

harvest, storage, transportation and pre-processing.

Summary

The Science and Technology

Directorate’s more than 400

scientists and engineers apply

the energy of innovation to

some of the most daunting

science challenges of our day.

The results of their research

have been published in the

scientific literature, been

recognized with numerous

awards and resulted in scores

of patents. Most important of

all, though, the research has

led to real-world solutions

that have improved quality of

life and substantially advanced U.S. interests for

enhanced energy, economic

and environmental security.

Examples of INL’s engineering

experience include developing

processes to sustain a supply

of biomass feedstock,

producing a hydrogen-rich gas

for use in fuel cells, liquefying

natural gas, and monitoring

and testing alternative fuels on

advanced internal combustion

engine vehicles.