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15th International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems
ICENES 2011
ICENES 2011 will be sponsored by the Northern California (NorCal) Section of the American
Nuclear Society (ANS), with both the Fusion Energy Division and the Operations & Power
Division as sponsoring Divisions. The meeting will be held May 15-19, 2011 in San Francisco.
LLNL personnel are playing key roles on the technical and organizing committees, and LLNL
will host a tour of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) as part of the meeting. We propose to
focus on topics that intersect the interests of researchers and leaders in fusion, fission and fusionfission hybrids. The proposed conference theme is:
ICENES-2011: A forum for developing and promoting common ground in advancing
nuclear energy systems
Proposed Topics (draft)
The following is a first cut at topics for the conference. These could be either single talks or
themes for sessions at the meeting. They should have interest to a wide variety of the people.
1. Broad Interest Topics
 Long range energy planning – a world view of energy growth and implications for
nuclear energy
- Developing nations’ energy needs
- The roles of fission, fusion, fossil and renewables in meeting future needs
- A look at externalities and how they impact choices
 Breaking the 30 year development plan paradigm (fusion and advanced fission)
- Identifying the limiting steps
- Is “perfect” too good for our own good?
 Improving resource utilization / Sustainability
- Fission resource limits and options
- Fission breeders
- Fusion hybrids
- Special materials (e.g., Be)
 New views of fission fuel cycle technology alternatives (e.g., advanced closed cycles)
 Creating and promoting a positive public and political image/stature
- Lack of greenhouse gas emission
- Fuel resource availability
 Developing the future workforce
- Nuclear, mechanical and electrical engineering, nuclear physics, plasma physics
 Updates on worldwide nuclear activities (possibly?)
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2. Emerging/Innovative Fusion Systems and Applications
 Inertial
- National Ignition Facility (NIF) / National Ignition Campaign (NIC)
- Pure Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE)
- IFE Hybrids
 Magnetic
- ITER
- Pure Magnetic Fusion Energy (MFE)
- MFE Hybrids
3. Emerging/Innovative Fission Systems and Applications
 Evolutionary
 Transformational
 HTGRs
 Breeders
 Small, modular designs
 Other?
4. Improving Technical Performance
 Increasing energy efficiency
- High temperature materials for high conversion efficiency
- Advanced power cycles
- Dual-use cycles (e.g., electric + district heat, electric + hydrogen)
 Improving material performance (metals and ceramics)
- Radiation damage testing and modeling
- Irradiation/testing facility needs
- Fusion and fission: common/unique issues and requirements
- Corrosion in water, molten salt, liquid metal coolants
- Fission and hybrid fuels
 Fuel reprocessing for fission and hybrids
- Differences and commonality
 Common ground on nuclear hardened diagnostics and instrumentation
5. Safety and Environment
 Common ground on licensing nuclear energy systems
- Fission and fusion – similarities and differences
 Minimizing nuclear “waste” and related public concerns
- Geological burial
- Fission breeders
- Fusion hybrid waste burners
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
- Innovative Transmutation
Minimizing environmental impacts through recycling, reuse and clearance
6. Operations and Economics
 Improving economics
- Capital costs
- Construction time
- Standard designs
- Modular systems
- Plant architecture
- O&M
- Fuel Cycle
 Nuclear operations and maintenance
- Lessons from fission
- Special needs of fusion
- Designing for high availability
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