Department of Materials Science and Engineering Fall Seminar Series: Brenda Garcia-Diaz

Description

Brenda Garcia-Diaz, the advisory program manager for fusion energy at Savannah River National Laboratory, will give a talk titled "Fusion Fuel Cycle Technology Development at Savannah River National Laboratory" for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Abstract:

The tritium fuel cycle is integral to all proposed commercial fusion power plants, but tritium is difficult and costly to process, purify, and enrich. Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has over 70 years of experience in the processing and handling of tritium and is leveraging this expertise for tritium processing for commercial fusion power. SRNL has a robust research program applying its technology portfolio in isotope separation, hydrogen purification, tritium vacuum pumping, impurity removal, tritium effects on materials, and the modeling of tritium retention in process systems to fusion power systems. SRNL is also leveraging the expertise from leading the design and fabrication of the ITER Tokamak Exhaust Processing (TEP) system as well as experience designing and analyzing an IFE fuel cycle for the LIFE project. Here, we will provide an overview of SRNL's fusion research programs including the new Fuel Cycle (FC) Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaborative that addresses critical challenges in tritium management for commercial fusion energy systems. The FC FIRE Collaborative aims to deliver scalable, economically viable fuel cycle solutions to accelerate fusion energy's transition to commercialization while addressing regulatory and societal acceptance challenges. This work directly supports the commercialization of fusion energy, emphasizing safety, efficiency, and innovation in tritium fuel cycle technologies.