Grants / Department of Energy / Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy

DE-FOA-0003534: Request for Information (RFI) on Nuclear Heat for Modular Process Intensification in Refineries and Petrochemical Plants

Closed Closed February 12, 2025 Opportunity DE-FOA-0003534 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Unlocking New Levels of Output and Capacity for Key Subsurface Resources (UNLOCK) (DE-FOA-0003630). Status: Closes November 20, 2026 (13 days left). It is in our archive of Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy notices from 2024.

• Award amountsNot given on Grants.gov
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to any type of organization.

• Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI is not seeking applications for financial assistance. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO). NO NOFO EXISTS AT THIS TIME.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses, individuals.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Most of the program's money (43% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

This is Modification 01 to the RFI. This extends the deadline for RFI responses to February 12, 2025. This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance. The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future programs. Request for Information (RFI) on Nuclear Heat for Modular Process Intensification in Refineries and Petrochemical Plants The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E program focused on improving the performance and efficiency of unit operations in refining and petrochemical plants by leveraging heat input from nuclear heat transfer fluids rather than from combustion. ARPA-E seeks information regarding transformative and implementable technologies to facilitate this integration. ARPA-E previously issued an RFI on Nuclear Hybrid and Non-Electricity Energy Systems, DE-FOA-0003011, in February 2023. Questions in this RFI reflect the refined scope of the potential program. ARPA-E has identified three areas of interest for using nuclear energy to decarbonize process heating demands in refineries and petrochemical plants: 1. Development of process-intensified reactors for endothermic processes; 2. Novel heat transfer and heat augmentation technologies; and 3. Process dynamics of incorporating a traditionally firm (nuclear) heat source with volatile demands. Coupling nuclear with oil and gas operations will require both technical and commercial innovation in areas such as process co-design and co-optimization, sensors, controls, and thermal buffering interface-component development while meeting reliability, availability, and durability metrics cost effectively. This RFI aims to gather information from interested and relevant stakeholders about opportunities and challenges in the technical, technology-to-market, and safety aspects of coupling of nuclear heat and/or power to industrial processes beyond pure power and/or steam production.

Category: Opportunity Zone Benefits, Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DE-FOA-0003630, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.