Argonne’s Nuclear Engineering (NE) division works to advance nuclear energy as a proven, sustainable non-carbon energy source through research, technology development, design, and analysis applied to current and emerging programs of national and international significance. Argonne has led the development of civilian nuclear power systems since the dawn of the nuclear age.

We provide the national leadership for the US Department of Energy’s — Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Advanced Reactor Technologies R&D Program, which is advancing the technologies and design of future-generation nuclear reactor systems.

We contribute technical leadership and expertise in several areas of DOE-NE’s fuel cycle R&D program, including the assessment of future fuel cycle options; safe management and disposition of used nuclear fuel, recovery of material from used fuel for recycle to advanced reactors, and development of improved fuels for light water reactors (LWR) and advanced reactors.

Moreover, we conduct research on aging of LWRs to support the safe operation and lifetime extension of existing and evolutionary nuclear plants and the safe management of used nuclear fuel, and we work to advance the nation's non-proliferation and nuclear materials security goals under funding from the DOE’s

National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and other federal agencies.

Other areas we conduct R&D include research reactors, advanced sensors and instrumentation/controls, nuclear material package certification, modelling and simulation, and materials research, including operation of the Intermediate Voltage Electron Microscopy (IVEM) — Tandem User Facility for DOE-NE.

Finally, we apply our expertise to such diverse areas as fuel cell technology and the oil industry, plus we engage in a number of international collaborations with the IAEA, INSP, and others in support of our mission.