Abstract:
In the Roadmap of the Department of Energy for advancement of nuclear power technology, light water reactors were featured prominently in the last 3 years. This is partly due to realization that this type of reactors will be the backbone of nuclear energy generation for decades to come. But, there are also compelling features for new technology options that promise enhanced safety and economics. Two examples will be discussed: The integral reactors, usually used in small and medium reactor designs to eliminate a host of potential small and large break loss of coolant accidents. It has been suggested that the use of compact steam generators, of the type used in the chemical industry, will enable reduction of size of the vessel, and thus improve the economics of the reactors. Another example is the use of SiC instead of Zr based fuel cladding to benefit from the slow reactions with water or steam, thus enabling higher burnup and possibly higher power density in LWR cores. The status of MIT research about this option will be presented.

Brief Bio:
Mujid S. Kazimi is Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He is Director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES), and the Kuwait Center for Natural Resources and the Environment at MIT.  
 
Kazimi is an expert in the design and safety analysis of nuclear power plants, and the nuclear fuel cycle. Over the years, he has devoted his time to overseeing in his many professional capacities crucial issues for applications of nuclear energy for society's well being while pursuing innovative and technologically advanced energy research. He is the co-author of “Nuclear Systems”, a two-volume textbook on thermal analysis of nuclear power plants.
 
He has been a member of many boards including Board of Managers of Idaho National Laboratory in 2005-2009, the Blue Ribbon Committee on Rejuvenation of Scientific Research in Kuwait in 2007, and several panels at the National Academy of Engineering. Kazimi co-chaired the MIT interdisciplinary study on the Future of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, 2008-2010. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of DOE’s Innovation Hub on Nuclear Simulation (CASL), the International Advisory Board on Nuclear Energy for the United Arab Emirates, and scientific advisory committees for several research laboratories.
 
Professor Kazimi holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Nuclear Engineering from Alexandria University, Egypt and an MS and PhD in Nuclear Engineering from MIT. He is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science and the International Nuclear Energy Academy.