Climate and Energy Transition

Extreme environments require advanced materials to withstand temperature, corrosion or plasma conditions and advanced diagnostics using neutrons and x-rays to probe fundamental processes occurring within the reaction zone.

Applications include

Fission Reactors

• Accident tolerant fuels
• Metal hydride moderators
• Advanced reactors
• Micro-reactors
• Criticality testing
• Neutronics modeling

Accelerator-based Reactors

• Configurations
• Fuels
•  Diagnostics

Fusion Reactors

• Advanced materials
• High temperature superconductors
• Moderators
• Diagnostics
• Advanced modeling and simulation.

Accelerate the development, deployment, and application of hydrogen-related solutions.

Learn more on the Los Alamos Hydrogen Hub

Applications include:

• Hydrogen Production – Broad range of capabilities to support emerging technologies for hydrogen production from a variety of domestic resources, including fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear energy.
• Hydrogen Storage & Delivery - Design and testing capabilities and research related to material compatibility with hydrogen or hydrogen carriers; theory, modeling, and simulation of materials used for storage and delivery systems; and subsurface characterization and risk assessment for underground storage.
• Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Conversion – Wide range of technologies and capabilities predominantly utilized to support polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell development but can be readily extended to solid oxide (SOFC), molten carbonate (MCFC), phosphoric acid (PAFC), alkaline (AFC) fuel cells, and other hydrogen related systems. Machine learning approaches to refine electrode catalyst synthesis, as well as fuel cell durability and performance.
• Cross Cutting Capabilities for Hydrogen Development and Deployment - A breadth of experimental resources including chemical and material tests and evaluations, analytical measurements of hydrogen systems, models, and simulations.
• Energy Transition Center of Excellence - Development of an on-site generation, storage, and dispensing of hydrogen fuel for utilities and transportation, including for fuel cell-EV buses and other mid-heavy-duty vehicles as Los Alamos tests, validates, and employs new solutions to support its carbon net-zero goals. 

Approaches to gain strategic advantages of CO2 emissions reduction demand an extensive knowledge framework for selecting subsurface (geologic) storage sites to capture gases, and to scale and deploy technologies to decarbonize the power and industrial sectors.

Applications include

• Subsurface reservoir signatures and measurements;
• Fractured reservoir modeling and simulation;
• Flow control in subsurface reservoirs;
• Risk assessment modeling
• Management of waste streams from traditional oil and gas operations. 
• Capture of point and non-point source emissions of CO₂
• Sequestration of CO₂ using biologic and mineralogic processes and geologic storage

Modernizing the Nation’s electricity delivery system requires secure communications, controls, and protection systems. We are focused on ensuring safe and reliable delivery of electricity by addressing future grid architectures that minimize high-impact threats.

Applications include

• Infrastructure Modeling and Simulation
• Quantum-encrypted communication for cyber security in physical infrastructure·  
• Physical testbeds for peak demand threats

Renewable energy sources, such as biomass, geothermal resources, sunlight, water, and wind, are natural resources that can be converted into multiple types of clean, usable energy.

Applications include

• Geothermal Reservoir Signatures and Measurements
• Wind Modeling and Simulation
• Biofuels, biomaterials, and biosynthesis