Drs. Andrew Casella & David Senor
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Abstract

The Tritium Technology Program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Tritium Modernization Program to produce tritium for the US strategic stockpile. PNNL is responsible for the design, development, demonstration, testing, analysis, and characterization of tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) that are irradiated in a commercial nuclear power plant for tritium production. The seminar will provide an overview of PNNL and its roles within the tritium production enterprise, with a particular emphasis on the science and technology activities supporting the production mission. The principal objective of these activities is risk reduction by improving comprehensive understanding of TPBAR irradiation performance, thereby improving predictive models and reducing uncertainty on performance projections. There are a number of knowledge gaps that presently hinder the ability to predict all aspects of TPBAR performance with the desired fidelity. To address these topics, there are a variety of activities underway including ex-reactor, in-reactor and ion irradiation experiments, characterization of unirradiated and irradiated TPBAR components, and performance modeling from atomistic to engineering dimension scales. PNNL collaborates with multiple national laboratories and universities in the US and abroad including an upcoming study with NC State University focused on understanding formation mechanisms of vacancy type defects in irradiated TPBAR cladding that have the potential to affect tritium transport.

Biographies

Andy Casella arrived at PNNL in 2006 as a DOE NE alternate sponsored fellow. Since then, he has contributed to both modeling and experimental efforts to better understand several nuclear and chemical systems. He has served as the PNNL Technical Lead for the Nuclear Science User Facilities, the Team Leader for Materials Performance, and Acting Group Leader for Reactor Materials and Mechanical Design. He is currently the Science Task Lead for the Tritium Technology Program, Manages the TerraPower Natrium effort at PNNL, is project manager for NNSA Capabilities-Based Investments projects in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory, is the PNNL Technical Point of Contact for the DOE NE Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation Program, supports the DOE Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear, is project manager for PNNL participation in High Energy Physics Accelerator Targetry efforts, and manages the PNNL Aerosol Source Term effort for Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology Storage and Transportation.

Since joining the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 1992, Dr. Senor has worked in a variety of nuclear-related materials science and technology areas. His work has focused on irradiation behavior evaluation, physical, mechanical and thermal property measurement, and manufacturing development of conventional and advanced nuclear fuels and materials. Examples include tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) for commercial PWRs, SiC for fission and fusion reactor structural applications, materials for high-power proton accelerator beam-intercepting devices, and U-Mo fuels for high performance research reactors. He has led irradiation experiments and post-irradiation examination of materials and fuels irradiated in ATR, EBR-II, FFTF, HFIR, JOYO, HFR and BLIP. Dr. Senor is Chief Scientist of the Tritium Technology Project supporting the NNSA Tritium Modernization Program, principal investigator for post-irradiation examination of accelerator beam-intercepting device materials as part of the RaDIATE Collaboration, and past principal investigator for fusion blanket and fuel cycle research at PNNL. He has authored or co-authored over 400 journal articles, presentations, and technical reports in the open literature, holds two US patents, is a past chair of the TMS Nuclear Materials Committee and the ANS Materials Science and Technology Division, and has organized seven international workshops and symposia.

Thursday, January 30. 2024
4:10 pm seminar

zoom link upon request