Energy Technology Division research summary 1997.

The Energy Technology Division provides materials and engineering technology support to a wide range of programs important to the US Department of Energy. As shown on the preceding page, the Division is organized into ten sections, five with concentrations in the materials area and five in engineering technology. Materials expertise includes fabrication, mechanical properties, corrosion, friction and lubrication, and irradiation effects. Our major engineering strengths are in heat and mass flow, sensors and instrumentation, nondestructive testing, transportation, and electromechanics and superconductivity applications. The Division Safety Coordinator, Environmental Compliance Officers, Quality Assurance Representative, Financial Administrator, and Communication Coordinator report directly to the Division Director. The Division Director is personally responsible for cultural diversity and is a member of the Laboratory-wide Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee. The Division's capabilities are generally applied to issues associated with energy production, transportation, utilization or conservation, or with environmental issues linked to energy. As shown in the organization chart on the next page, the Division reports administratively to the Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for Energy and Environmental Science and Technology (EEST) through the General Manager for Environmental and Industrial Technologies. While most of our programs are under the purview of the EEST ALD, we also have had programs funded under every one of the ALDs. Some of our research in superconductivity is funded through the Physical Research Program ALD. We also continue to work on a number of nuclear-energy-related programs under the ALD for Engineering Research. Detailed descriptions of our programs on a section-by-section basis are provided in the remainder of this book. This Overview highlights some major trends. Research related to the operational safety of commercial light water nuclear reactors (LWRS) is funded by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In addition to our ongoing work on environmentally assisted cracking and steam generator integrity, a major new multiyear program has been initiated to assess the performance of high-burnup fuel during loss-of-coolant accidents. The bulk of the NRC research work is carried out in four ET sections: Corrosion: Mechanics of Materials; Irradiation Performance: and Sensors, Instrumentation, and Nondestructive Evaluation. The Transportation of Hazardous Materials Section is the other main contributor; staff from that Section have worked closely with NRC staff to draft a new version of the NRC Standard Review Plan that will be used to provide guidance to NRC reviewers of applications for the renewal of nuclear plant licenses