Energy Security
Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Security:
Joette G. Sonnenberg

The expertise of the Savannah River National Laboratory is a valuable resource for leading the nation to new, clean, safe, secure methods of obtaining energy. In particular, hydrogen, which is central to SRNL’s history, is proving to have tremendous potential for providing energy for our vehicles, homes and industries. In addition, SRNL has uncommon expertise related to nuclear energy, an energy source that is gaining renewed interest for its environmental benefits.

Since the earliest years of the laboratory, hydrogen experts have supported the Savannah River Site’s work with tritium, the radioactive form of hydrogen used in national defense. That experience has led to the development of technologies for the safe, cost-effective handling of hydrogen – technologies that are equally applicable to hydrogen as an energy source. Today, SRNL’s 80-plus hydrogen researchers (the largest assembly of hydrogen talent in the country) are involved in work related to the most important challenges that must be addressed to make the hydrogen economy a reality: safe, clean production of hydrogen without the use of fossil fuels; light-weight, cost-effective storage of hydrogen; hydrogen separation.

Putting Science to Work for Energy Security:
Nuclear Production of Hydrogen
A study led by SRNL has shown that using hydrogen produced by the heat of a nuclear plant to fuel our cars would be a viable part of an overall future energy strategy for the nation. The study was the first phase of a multi-year project to evaluate the technical and economic issues surrounding nuclear production of hydrogen. In the second phase, SRNL is producing a pre-conceptual design of a nuclear hydrogen plant.

Hydrogen Storage Device
SRNL’s patented hydrogen storage device uses metal hydrides – metal granules that hold hydrogen in an inherently safe, easily-handled solid state, releasing it based on temperature. Safe, compact, reliable, and efficient, this device has been used to power a public transit bus and an industrial fuel cell vehicle. SRNL has long been a leader in the development and use of metal hydrides, with various patents for hydride compositions and their applications. The laboratory is now at the forefront of research into new classes of lighter-weight hydride materials, which may expand the technology’s applicability for powering vehicles. TOP

Carbon Nanostructures
An SRNL-led basic science research project is exploring the role of nanotechnology in hydrogen storage, as part of a DOE initiative to make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and refueling stations available, practical and affordable for American consumers by 2020. This project is studying the physical and chemical properties of carbon nanotubes, and the mechanisms that these tiny structures use to bond with hydrogen. Recent research has indicated that carbon nanotubes have great potential as a way to store hydrogen in a solid structure because they may be able to bond with large amounts of hydrogen at room temperature.

Glass Microspheres
SRNL researchers are at the forefront of research and development of glass microspheres (tiny glass “bubbles” less than 100 microns in diameter) for glass storage, combining two of the laboratory’s celebrated areas of expertise: glass formulation and hydrogen. Researchers have successfully produced microspheres with porous walls, allowing them to load the “bubbles” with hydrogen-absorbing materials. In addition to its potential as a safe, easy-to-handle method of storing hydrogen for energy use, this technology also offers great potential in a wide range of other fields, where the microspheres could be filled with other materials as used as a storage or delivery system.

University Teaching and Research Reactors
SRNL is actively involved in the Southeast Universities Nuclear Reactors Institute for Science and Education (SUNRISE), a growing consortium of now 18 colleges and universities in nine states with industrial and government partners, totaling 25 members. The consortium was formed to pursue the type of project contemplated by the House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Appropriations, which encouraged DOE to explore proposals for a next generation research reactor to be hosted on a DOE site to serve the university community.

SUNRISE has proposed a set of modern state-of-the-art facilities, managed and shared by the consortium for the southeast. These facilities would include a low power reactor to complement the University of Florida, NC State and University of Maryland reactors for training and education programs, and a separate research reactor based on evolving technology to support advanced nuclear energy initiatives such as the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR), the flagship of DOE advanced nuclear energy program. A key objective is to help stem the decline of university nuclear programs.

Papers by SRNL researchers on a variety of topics are available through the DOE Information Bridge.