Idaho Facilities Management

The Department of Energy (DOE) supports
nuclear science and technology at one of the world’s most comprehensive research sites:
Idaho National Laboratory.

The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) has the overall duty to ensure Idaho National Laboratory (INL) can fulfill its assigned missions. Through its Idaho Facilities Management and Idaho Site-Wide Safeguards & Security programs, NE provides the funding and oversight needed not only to maintain Idaho facilities and infrastructure as viable research assets, but also to ensure their safety, security, and environmental compliance.

INL combines the expertise of government, industry and academia in a single laboratory under the leadership of Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), a team comprised of Battelle Memorial Institute, Washington Group International, BWXT Services, Inc., the Electric Power Research Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. BEA manages the laboratory under a Management and Operating contract. This contract requires:

• Safe and efficient operation of all INL facilities.
• Cost reduction by better use of existing facilities and elimination of under-utilized or unneeded facilities.
• More cost effective accomplishment of mission objectives by use of upgraded and new infrastructure.

The Idaho Operations Officeoversees these contract activities in accordance with DOE directives, including the DOE Order for Real Property Asset Management (RPAM), 430.1B, and the DOE Order for Oversight Policy Implementation, 226.1. The ongoing effort needed to maintain federal facilities and infrastructure at the INL Site is reflected in a ten-year site plan approved by NE as required by the RPAM Order. This plan serves as the basis for developing annual budget requests.

INL is a multi-program laboratory

In addition to enabling the Office of Nuclear Energy to develop space power systems and advanced fuel cycle and reactor technologies, INL facilities are used by the National Nuclear Security Administration and other DOE offices, together with other Federal agencies such as the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security, to meet an array of strategic energy, environmental, and national security goals.

The INL includes an 889-square-mile high desert site with two main on-site technology areas: the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) and the Advanced Test Reactor  Complex (ATRC). A third technology area, the Research & Education Campus (REC), is in the City of Idaho Falls. How these assets can contribute to the long-term energy security of the Nation through nuclear research and development is discussed in the INL Strategic Plan.

INL real property assets include 298 buildings, associated support structures, approximately 800 miles of improved and unimproved roads, 61 miles of electrical transmission lines, 14 miles of railroad lines and a full complement of utilities, including communication and data transmission systems. These systems connect and serve the primary technology complexes, and therefore represent a critical investment in sustaining INL’s research capabilities.

Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC)

Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) at INL

Description:

Integrated site with spent fuel treatment facility (Fuel Conditioning Facility); hot cell (Hot Fuels Examination Facility); and fuel fabrication (Fuel Manufacturing Facility).

Mission:

Store and treat U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) spent fuel and other nuclear materials, support Fuel Cycle Research and Development, and other nuclear energy R&D, fuel manufacturing, characterization of nuclear materials, and support National Nuclear Security Administration and National Aeronautics and Space Administration missions.

ATR Complex (ATRC)

The ARTC features the world’s largest and most powerful test reactor:
the Advanced Test Reactor

A key user of ATR and ATRCF is the Office of the Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors within the Department's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

ATR is vital to the national strategic objective of
“providing the U.S. Navy with safe, militarily effective
nuclear propulsion plants and ensuring
their continued safe and reliable operation.”

A 250-megawatt reactor, ATR conducts virtually all irradiation testing of Navy reactor fuels. The ATRCF is used to verify core loading with new experiments that will be placed in ATR.

ATR was designated as a National Scientific User Facility in April 2007.  As a user facility, ATR is available to researchers from universities and industry for conducting in-core experiments vital to nuclear energy technology and materials development. ATR availability for research is managed under the NE National Scientific User Facility Program, which makes facilities and capabilities at all three of INL’s technology areas - MFC, ATRC, and REC - available to researchers for use in scientific experiments that have strong potential to achieve breakthroughs in basic and applied science and to help improve the performance of the nation’s current fleet of commercial light water reactors.

As a key element of the NE National Science User Facility Program at INL, ATR will help INL become a cornerstone of nuclear energy R&D conducted by universities, industry, international organization, and other laboratories, with the overall goal of enhancing U.S. energy security.

Research and Education Campus (REC)

The REC is the collective name for INL's administrative, technical support and computer facilities in Idaho Falls, as well as the in-town laboratories where researchers work on a wide variety of advanced scientific research and development projects. These efforts  support nuclear research, national security programs and a wide range of cutting-edge research in fields as varied as robotics, genetics, biology, chemistry, metallurgy, computational science and hydropower.

CAES: A collaborative approach to the nation's energy future

The Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), which opened in 2009, houses the Energy Policy Institute, and is an important resident program at REC. CAES creates a unique and collaborative environment for addressing the nation's energy future, including cross-organizational and peer-to-peer technical collaboration. Its goal is to address science, engineering and technology development critical to U.S. and global energy needs. CAES research will focus on energy affordability, environmental safety, and technology research in nuclear, hydrogen, and fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas), plus the full spectrum of renewable energy sources.

More information about the MFC, ATRC and REC can be found here.

Nuclear Energy (NE) National Scientific User Facility (NSUF) Program
The National Scientific User Facility (NSUF) Concept: Provide researchers access to INL's three technology areas in order to support scientific advancements.

A key element of the Idaho Facilities Management program is the NE NSUF.

Historic Reactor

Detailed information on the nuclear safety policies and directives related to facility operations can be found through the following link: Nuclear Safety in DOE Facilities.