b'O V E R V I E W O F T H E L A B O R A T O R Y P L A N 2 0 1 9Testing, demonstration, and validation of these technologies, systems, and materials are hallmarks of INLs nuclear energy mission.INL leads DOEs NRIC. By couplingDr. Aguiars research experimentation with advanced M&S,enables machine NRIC expands and deploys nationallearning to predict nuclear energy strategic infrastructure,how a combination of providing a global destination formaterials will perform nuclear energy innovation andin an alloyed state.demonstration. INLs RD&D and strategic partnerships with the internationalL D R D S U CC E S S S TO RY community, nuclear industry, and national laboratories will reduce theThrough Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD), Dr. Jeffery costs of nuclear energy and increase theAguiar applies machine learning to further the capability to predict and analyze contribution of nuclear energy to the nations energy mix.combinatorial material science systems for nuclear applications. He is shortening INL focuses RD&D, partnerships, and the development cycle involved in discovering and qualifying new high-investments to: entropy alloy systems for molten-salt and fast-reactor applications. This early Enable accelerated development and licensing of new nuclear materials,demonstration delivers on the mission to advance the economic competitiveness concepts, and technologies byof nuclear energy and technology worldwide.establishing NRIC, a comprehensive, integrated national RD&D test bed with state-of-the-art experimental and computational capabilities Reduce the time and cost toDemonstrate one or moredevelop and demonstrate new microreactors, site the nations firstnuclear materials and to license small modular reactor (SMR), andnuclear systemsenable deployment of other SMRsImplement an effective private-and advanced reactors public-partnerships framework that Increase cost-competitiveness ofaccelerates the development and current and future nuclear systemsdemonstration of advanced nuclear by developing and demonstratingenergy technologies supportive advanced technologies Enable deployment of next-Develop and deliver the fast-spectrumgeneration space power systemsirradiation capabilities of the VTRS P OT L I G H T INL continues to develop and expand experimental and modeling capabilities for new LWR and advanced-reactor and accident-tolerant fuels. These capabilities will be instrumental in qualifying these new fuels for future use in commercial power reactors.The resumption of TREAT operations marks the restoration of a critical national asset for qualifying nuclear fuels. The first fueled TREAT experiments began with the initiation of the Minimal Activation Retrievable Capsule Holder (MARCH) Separate Effect9Test Holder (SETH) test campaign in September 2018.'