The document is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), identified as DE-FOA-0003534. The focus is on exploring the integration of nuclear heat into modular process intensification for refineries and petrochemical plants. The initiative aims to decarbonize industrial processes, replacing combustion-based heating systems with nuclear-powered heat exchangers to achieve higher heating efficiency, reduced reactor size, lower costs, and fewer emissions. This RFI seeks stakeholder feedback on transformative, implementable technologies that could address these goals, building on prior ARPA-E efforts to explore nuclear hybrid systems and non-electricity energy uses.
The purpose of the potential program is to replace inefficient industrial combustion heating systems, which are major contributors to U.S. industrial and total emissions, with nuclear heat transfer solutions. Key objectives include enabling process intensification for highly endothermic chemical reactions, leveraging advanced nuclear reactors as heat sources for improved temperature control, efficiency, and economic performance in refineries and petrochemical processes. This initiative aligns with the DOE's Industrial Heat Shot goal to develop cost-effective industrial heating technologies with an 85% emissions reduction.
The scope of the RFI includes three focus areas: developing process-intensified reactors for endothermic reactions, designing novel heat transfer and augmentation technologies, and addressing process dynamics challenges when coupling nuclear heat with industrial processes. The document specifies that the focus is not on nuclear reactor development itself but on utilizing nuclear heat above 300°C in a way that integrates with industrial processes, particularly in refineries and petrochemical plants. It also highlights the advantages of modular advanced nuclear reactors, which provide geographically flexible, cost-effective, and low-emission heat sources that meet typical industrial heating needs below 550°C.
This RFI is open to a broad range of stakeholders, including research institutions, industries, and other organizations. Respondents are encouraged to address one or more of the posed questions, which cover process intensification, innovative heat exchanger designs, interface modeling and controls, and general considerations for coupling nuclear heat with industrial operations. Key questions include examining current industrial heating processes, identifying opportunities for replacing furnaces with nuclear-driven reactors, and assessing risks and opportunities in integrating nuclear heat technologies. Guidelines for submission specify that responses are limited to ten pages, should be sent by February 12, 2025, and must not include proprietary or confidential information.
The RFI emphasizes several considerations for developing a potential funding program, including predictable regulatory approvals, reliable nuclear fuel cycle management, and ensuring warranty and insurability. The DOE also specifies areas not of interest, such as reactor designs without integration with industrial processes, catalyst development without nuclear heat applications, and heat exchanger designs unrelated to nuclear heat.
Evaluation criteria are not explicitly mentioned, as this is an information-gathering stage. ARPA-E plans to use submitted responses for program development purposes only and does not guarantee funding or other compensation. Important deadlines include the submission closing date of February 12, 2025, and the expectation that respondents follow detailed submission formatting instructions.
