The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee met yesterday to consider the nomination of Kathryn Huff to head the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (NE). President Biden selected Huff to fill the top spot at NE in January.
An ANS member, Huff came to the DOE in May of last year to serve as principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear energy, going on unpaid leave from her position as associate professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she led the Advanced Reactors and Fuel Cycles Research Group.
Hearing Huff: “With the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law and current events, it is a pivotal time for the Office of Nuclear Energy,” Huff said in her opening statement. “If I have the privilege of being confirmed and leading NE, my priorities and decisions will be informed by science—and with a clear understanding of the importance of nuclear energy in ensuring that our energy systems are reliable, secure, and sustainable.
“To meet our domestic energy needs and rebuild U.S. leadership globally, I will prioritize activities to preserve the existing fleet of nuclear power plants, deploy advanced reactor technologies, and sustainably manage spent nuclear fuel, as well as work with our international partners to support technological transfer and American innovation.”
During the hearing’s question-and-answer portion, Huff addressed a number of topics, including investment in domestic uranium conversion and enrichment infrastructure to eliminate U.S. dependence on Russia for nuclear fuel. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, she said, “puts into stark contrast the importance of our energy security. I completely agree that we need to build out the capacity for a Western alternative to the Russian component of the uranium market, including conversion and enrichment capacity. I do believe that a solution to not only the current fleet’s needs for uranium but also to HALEU [high-assay low-enriched uranium] for our advanced reactor fleet can be found with sufficient support from appropriations and direction from DOE.”
Huff also endorsed the proposed 10-year production tax credit for nuclear included in the stalled Build Back Better legislation, calling the provision an “an excellent idea” and one that “could certainly help with keeping our existing plants open and inspiring new plants to come on board.”
The one-hour-and-39-minute hearing can be viewed here.
Letter of recommendation: In a March 16 letter to the committee, ANS President Steven Nesbit and Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy vouched for Huff’s credentials and experience and urged the senators to favorably report her nomination to the full Senate.
“Dr. Huff is a highly respected and widely known member of the American nuclear community," Nesbit and Piercy wrote. “Dr. Huff’s recent experience at the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as her research on modeling and simulation of advanced nuclear reactors and fuel cycles, make her highly qualified for this position.”


Fukushima survivors to file class action lawsuit against Japanese govt, plant operator
At least 350 people affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown will file a class action lawsuit against the Japanese government and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) on the second anniversary of the disaster.
Lawyers representing residents whose homes and farms were hit by radiation in the wake of the disaster said it was the largest suit on the issue filed against the government.The plaintiffs will further seek some US$535 each in compensation from TEPCO for every month they have been displaced as a result of the accident.They also plan to seek a court injunction that will require both the government and TEPCO to reduce radiation levels in the affected area to pre-disaster levels. The suit will be filed on March 11, the two-year anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Several other similar class-action suits against both the government and TEPCO will be filed with the Tokyo District Court on the same day."The government promoted nuclear power as a national policy and has been closely involved with it," lawyer Izutaro Managi told AAP news agency."Being fully aware of the danger of losing power due to a tsunami, the government neglected its duty to prevent such an event," he said. "This is a suit to recover a Fukushima with neither radiation nor nuclear power," he continued. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster occurred after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami crashed into the power station and knocked out its cooling system leading to the meltdown of three reactor cores. Tens of thousands were forced to flee the area and many are still unable to return.
TEPCO ‘lies’ to government
With residents preparing to sue the government and TEPCO for their role in the worst nuclear disaster in a generation, on Thursday the power company found itself in hot water for allegedly misleading a government panel over possible quake damage to its reactor building.TEPCO said that radiation levels were “dreadfully high” in order to prevent an onsite inspection of its crippled nuclear plant, according to Mitsuhiko Tanaka, a former member of the now-disbanded Diet commission, which had been tasked with uncovering the cause of the nuclear crisis.The commission had hoped to determine to see if the isolation condensers – key safety components at nuclear plants – had been damaged in the earthquake.
The National Diet is Japan's bicameral legislature. It consists of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councilors.
TEPCO had denied they were damaged in the quake and falsified actual conditions within the plant to keep inspectors out, Tanaka said in a statement submitted to the chiefs of the two Diet chambers on Thursday. Toshimitsu Tamai, then chief of TEPCO’s corporate planning department, urged Tanaka not to carry out the probe in light of major safety concerns, saying “If you got lost, you would run into areas with dreadfully high levels of radiation,” The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reports.It was later found out that the cover allowed for the transmission of 10-16 percent of sunlight to come through, and it was further equipped with high-powered mercury lamps.If it were determined that the emergency cooling system was damaged by the earthquake, more stringent quake-resistance standards would be required for nuclear power plants, further delaying reactors from going online around the country. “[TEPCO’s explanation] was absolutely false and seriously obstructed the investigation,” Tanaka said.A TEPCO spokesman admitted that the utility gave inaccurate information to the parliamentary commission but claims it did not intentionally lie about conditions within the structure.In July a parliamentary report said Fukushima was a man-made disaster stemming from Japan's culture of "reflexive obedience." TEPCO had previously admitted to downplaying the risks of a tsunami due to political, financial and reputational concerns. In October the energy utility reversed their previously held position that disaster was unavoidable, saying “When looking back on the accident, the problem was that preparations were not made in advance…”In August, the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission blamed both TEPCO and the Japanese authorities for the disaster, saying “the accident was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators, and TEPCO,” whom they said “effectively betrayed the nation’s right to be safe from nuclear accidents.”


Russian contractor has weld connected two halves Reactor Pressure Vessel, or RPV, for 1200 megawatt, or MW, unit-1 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant at Ishwardi of Pabna in northern Bangladesh.
It is a key stage in the manufacturing process of the RPV, said a Rosatom statement Tuesday.
AEM Technology in Volgodonsk in Russia completed the process that lasted for 10 days with continuous heating of the weld zone at 150 to 300 degree celsius and required about two tonnes of flux and more than one and a half tonnes of wire of four mm diameter.
AEM Technology is a part of Atomenergomash, the engineering division of Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom.
Following completion of welding, the reactor pressure vessel weighing 320 tonnes was heated at 300 degrees celsius for two days in furnace.
In the next stage, specialists are out a whole range of tests in the weld zones including radiographic, ultrasound and penetration tests.
In parallel with the manufacture of reactor pressure vessel, the plant is manufacturing its internals, reactor cover and the upper unit as well.
As of May 19, the vessel of the Reactor Core Barrel has been manufactured; baffle and a protective tube unit are at final stage of manufacturing.
The reactor is a vertical cylindrical vessel with an elliptical bottom.
The core and the internals are located inside the vessel.
From above, the reactor is hermetically sealed by a cover with the drives of mechanisms and elements for regulating and protecting the reactor, and nozzles for passage of cables of the in-core monitoring sensors installed on it.
Atomenergomash is a single source supplier of all equipment of the reactor compartment of the Rooppur NPP and a significant part of the equipment for the turbine island.
Different division of the company manufacture reactors, steam generators, pumping and heat-exchange equipment.
The expected commissioning schedule of the unit -1 of the Rooppur NPP has already been deferred by one year to 2023 from 2022.
Works for the preparatory phase of the Rooppur NPP is nearing completion and the main construction is expected to begin in the second half of the current year, Rosatom said in a previous statement.
The design of the innovative Generation 3+ power unit, which will be installed in Rooppur NPP, includes the most powerful type of VVER-1200 reactor, as well as a high-speed turbine specially designed for new-generation NPPs, the Rosatom statement said.
It provides the highest level of operational safety and fully meets all post-Fukushima requirements strictly set by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, it added.
The first nuclear plant in Bangladesh is being built under a supplier's credit deal with Russia.
Rooppur NPP is designed and constructed according to the Russian design.
The plant will consist of two power units each with a capacity of 1200 MW, and equipped with generation 3+VVER-1200 reactor.
The Rooppur project will cost Tk 1.13 trillion ($12.65 billion), with Russian financing worth $11.38 billion being provided to Bangladesh for the project.
The Russian Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs and Bangladesh's state-owned Sonali Bank Ltd. will work as authorised banks for the state loan.
The Bangladesh government will provide Tk 220.52 billion of its own funding for the project.


December 4, 2017
Arvid Lundy and Cheryl Rofer
Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have been much in the news lately, with continuing testing of missiles and, in North Korea’s case, a nuclear explosive.
President Donald Trump has responded with threatening tweets, stoking fears of nuclear war. The two countries’ histories are very different, but both feel they have reason to fear the United States. One response is to develop nuclear weapons, deliverable by missile. Iran’s progress toward nuclear weapons was stopped by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, negotiated in 2015. North Korea currently moves ahead without restriction.
We’ll discuss the motivations of both countries, where they are now, the response from the United States, and what the future might bring.
Cheryl Rofer was a chemist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for 35 years. She now writes scientific and political commentary for the web publications Nuclear Diner and Balloon Juice. She has over 9000 followers on Twitter. She regularly provides background information on nuclear topics to reporters and has been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Vox. Her work at Los Alamos included projects in fossil fuels, laser development, and the nuclear fuel cycle. She is past president of the Los Alamos Committee on Arms Control and International Security and a founding member of SFWAF. She has published in scientific and political science journals and edited a book. She holds an A.B. from Ripon College and an M.S. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Arvid Lundy has extensive experience in nuclear export controls, nuclear proliferation intelligence, electronic instrumentation design, and clinical medical physics. Arvid spent thirty one years at Los Alamos National Laboratory as project engineer, group leader, and program manager. His career included over 100 foreign trips for the US government on nuclear issues, especially international nuclear export control.
This program will be in the Santa Fe Community College Board Room (room #223).


Lead is one of the predominant materials utilized to constrict x-rays. Because of its density, high level of stability, high atomic number, the high degree of flexibility, ease of fabrication, its applications, and its availability it is an excellent shielding material against the radiations.
Blankets made from lead are soft blankets, fabricated from a layer of leaded vinyl sheet sandwiched between two sheets of flexible plastic. Another form of a lead blanket is made from lead wool evenly distributed between two layers of material, which is then quilted.
What is Lead Shielding?
Lead shielding is used to shield people or objects from radiation through the use of lead as a form of radiation protection to reduce adequate exposure. Lead can adequately
attenuate certain kinds of pollution.
One of the most recognized shielding products is the lead blanket. These are ingenious and in-demand products that make a lot of sense and can work for certain people and situations. The proven durability and strength of these blankets are found within their construction and formulation.
Why are Lead Blankets Used?
- Maintenance and inspection of a nuclear installation can be facilitated by providing an effective barrier that will reduce the gamma radiation to an acceptable level, and this is where these blankets play its part. Even though the reactor is not operating when a nuclear plant is shut down, a significant amount of gamma radiation remains in the components of the cooling system.
- One way to allow the maintenance crew to reach the specified locations is by the use of a flexible pad or lead-made blanket that can be placed over the pipes and other sources of the gamma radiation to facilitate the working personnels. The sheets must contain enough shielding material to be an effective gamma radiation barrier, while it should not be heavy in order to be easily carried.
Reviewing the Best
High-shielding Conductive Fabric for Blocking RF Signals
Description: Available in Royal Blue color. These are available in 18″ x 25″ measurement and are absolutely Latex Free. These contain .50Pb Lead Equivalency, which is approximately 6 pounds. They include Nylon with Microfiber NonSlip Backing. These are specially designed to protect patients or equipment. They provide complete protection from dental, medical, or clinical radiation.
- These are easy to disinfect.
- They can be molded into many components.
- The blankets are layered in lead wool rope, which increases the attenuation while minimizing any gaps.
- The appropriate shielding makes them effective at stopping gamma rays and x-rays.
- Available at affordable prices compared to non-lead apparel.
- These are very flexible and rugged.
- They have to be disposed-off properly as they cannot be disposed-off in the regular waste collection as these are not ecological.
- These are comparatively heavier in weight than non-lead products.
- These are not environment-friendly.
- These blankets need to be recycled once they are no longer in circulation.
Blankets made of lead are one of the popular shielding solutions around the globe. They prove to be effective in terms of protection against harmful radiation and are completely worth buying to keep you protected from the rays.


Any discussion on nuclear power policy should be based on reality.
In their Upper House election campaign platforms, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, say they will allow more restarts of nuclear reactors in line with the government’s Basic Energy Plan.
The plan defines nuclear energy as a mainstay source of power, which it assumes will account for 20 to 22 percent of Japan’s total power supply in fiscal 2030.
Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, decisions have been made to decommission some of the nation’s nuclear reactors; plans are being floated to decommission others. The total number of the reactors concerned is 21.
Achieving the goal of the Basic Energy Plan would require about 30 operating reactors, meaning the activation of almost all remaining nuclear reactors in Japan.
One is tempted to ask if such a plan can be described as realistic.
The power industry has placed topmost priority on restarting nuclear reactors, but only nine reactors have so far been brought back online.
Many reactors are not likely to be reactivated any time soon because of local opposition, the presence of an active fault nearby or for other reasons.
Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Co., which is seeking to restart reactors at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture, made an argument for itself during a general shareholders’ meeting in June.
“We need to have nuclear reactors up and running, after all,” they said, adding that doing so would allow TEPCO to increase its profits and thereby “fulfill its responsibility for Fukushima.”
TEPCO, however, has apologized for keeping local governments in the dark for three years about insufficient seismic resistance of the Main Anti-Earthquake Building at the Niigata plant, which would serve as a center for response measures in the event of a disaster.
Following a big earthquake in June this year, TEPCO mistakenly sent wrong information to local governments saying that “abnormalities” had occurred at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
Given these circumstances, TEPCO could hardly expect to gain deeper understanding of the host communities.
The construction of anti-terror facilities is falling behind schedule at nuclear plants elsewhere in Japan where reactors have been brought back online.
Beginning next spring, reactors operated by Kyushu Electric Power Co. and Kansai Electric Power Co. are expected to be taken offline again in succession.
The argument that nuclear power is cheap is also losing ground. Expenses for safety measures have swollen following the Fukushima disaster, and more than 4 trillion yen ($37 billion) in total has been spent so far to prepare nuclear reactors for their restarts.
The joint public-private efforts to export nuclear power technology to developing markets overseas, given the thin opportunities in Japan, have reached a deadlock in many nations.
The ruling parties should explain specifically how they plan to deal with all of these realities if they insist that Japan should remain reliant on nuclear power.
A final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste is unlikely to be built soon, either. The nuclear fuel recycling program, intended to extract plutonium from spent fuel for reuse, has also practically failed.
Despite all that, there are still plans to activate a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, to extract plutonium. This shows Japan’s nuclear power policy is laden with many layers of contradictions.
Opposition parties that oppose reactor restarts and are calling for zero nuclear power, such as the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party, should also face up to the question of feasibility.
Even if a transition to renewable energy sources, such as solar power, is to be pursued, there is still a need to curb the burden on the public to guarantee a certain level of income for renewable energy operators.
Measures should be established to ensure a stable supply of power even when renewables account for the majority of it. Allowances should also be made for the economies of local communities that have long depended on nuclear power.
People living in power consumption areas, to say nothing of residents of communities hosting nuclear plants, should give serious thought to the future of nuclear power in this country.


In today’s world, clean energy is not only popular; it is going to be king. The question is a matter of when and how clean energy will rule, not if clean energy will dominate the power industry. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will produce a final ruling on its Clean Power Plan coming this summer, and nuclear power generation ought to be part of their plan and future plans. Along with the rest of the globe, reducing pollution and emissions is a challenge facing the United States, its industries, and its people. The former New Jersey governor and EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman writes:
“In my current role as co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, I have traveled across the United States engaging policymakers, community leaders, business leaders, academics and labor leaders about the essential role nuclear energy plays in generating electricity.”
Mrs. Whitman articulates what many members of the energy industry know, demand for electricity is increasing. For the United States alone, energy demand is expected to increase by almost 30% within the next 25 years. Nuclear Energy provides over 50% of the country’s clean electricity. According to Whitman’s article, the global market for nuclear power will be more than half a trillion dollars. While the nuclear generation market increases globally, regulations at home in the U.S. and budgetary concerns continue to threaten the growth of nuclear power. According to Electric Light and Power, U.S. Senator James Inhofe told a large group nuclear industry members that the budget of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was too large and that the appropriated funds were unnecessary. So not only does the industry have to worry about the EPA’s plan for nuclear energy but potential budgetary constraint could make the NRC job more difficult. Both the EPA and the NRC could stifle future growth in the domestic nuclear energy production market. Either way, nuclear energy is and will be an important part of the energy production industry. The question that remains is how much will nuclear energy be a part of the domestic and international market moving forward with pending increases in regulation?
For further reading see the following articles:
Nuclear energy key to bolstering national security and protecting environment
NRC budget too much to justify, senator tells Nuclear Energy Institute


Polonium-210 is an isotope of polonium. It undergoes alpha decay to stable 206Pb with a half-life of 138.376 days, the longest of all naturally occurring polonium isotopes. First identified in 1898, and also marking the discovery of the element polonium, 210Po is generated in the decay chain of uranium-238 and radium-226. 210Po is a prominent contaminant in the environment, mostly affecting seafood and tobacco. It is also extremely toxic to humans as a result of its intense radioactivity.


We report -n mass spectra for the reaction H2(K-,+)-n at K=20°, momentum transfer q=294 Mev/c. Upper limits on formation cross sections are given and appear to rule out the existence of - neutron bound states. In addition, a missing mass spectrum for the reaction H2(K--)X, K=4°, q=134 MeV/c (X=+n, p, or p), is shown and discussed. NUCLEAR REACTIONS n mass spectrum neutron bound states, (K,) reaction on deuterium, p mass spectrum.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics


About the Project
Digital twins are beginning to transform design processes for complex systems in a number of industries. A proof-of-concept study for digital reactor in fission energy has been conducted by the Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC) at the University of Liverpool, together with partners from industry and national laboratories using the Integrated Nuclear Digital Environment (INDE)1 as its basis.
In parallel, Professor Patterson and Professor Taylor having been working with partners at UKAEA in the form of a digital environment for fusion energy, taking account of the higher order of complexity, the scale of resources, the integration of novel technologies, and the likely diversity and distribution of organisations involved.
The VEC has had positive interactions with the regulatory authorities during the digital fission reactor project and the culture of enabling-regulation offers an opportunity for a new paradigm in the regulation of fusion power plants. It is proposed to investigate the potential provided by the integration of digital twins with the regulatory environment to enable innovation in the design of fusion power plants.
CDT name: GREENCDT


The protein encoded by this gene is a cytosolic factor that facilitates protein transport into the nucleus. It interacts with the nuclear pore complex glycoprotein p62. This encoded protein acts at a relative late stage of nuclear protein import, subsequent to the initial docking of nuclear import ligand at the nuclear envelope. It is thought to be part of a multicomponent system of cytosolic factors that assemble at the pore complex during nuclear import.
NTF-2; Nuclear transport factor 2; Placental protein 15; PP15


Reliable models for the behaviour of iodine in a reactor containment following a severe nuclear reactor accident are essential to predicting the potential release to the environment, and thus to developing and qualifying appropriate mitigation strategies and devices. Whilst most aspects of iodine chemistry are now adequately understood, particularly for PWR conditions, some outstanding issues remain. Firstly, some processes leading to the destruction of volatile forms of iodine are not well quantified. Improved knowledge of these destruction rates will allow their importance to be assessed, in terms of natural mitigation processes and accident management interventions. Secondly, effects on iodine behaviour of certain materials and conditions, specific to BWR systems, are unknown. Understanding these specific effects will allow data and models developed mainly for PWR systems to be applied with confidence to BWR source term predictions.
Funding SchemeCSC - Cost-sharing contracts
412 96 Göteborg
1755 ZG Petten
250 68 Rez - Praha


29 May 2012
Respected nuclear engineer joins energy team amid rising demand for technical assurance services
Lloyd’s Register has appointed the internationally respected nuclear safety expert Professor Mamdouh El-Shanawany as Business Leader for New Nuclear Opportunities.
In his new role Prof El-Shanawany will help to lead the organisation’s technical support programme for countries looking to expand their nuclear programmes and those looking to develop civil nuclear energy for the first time.
Prof El-Shanawany joins Lloyd's Register from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where he most recently was the agency’s Head of Safety Assessment for the Division of Nuclear Installations Safety. In that global role, he was responsible for strengthening the ability of IAEA member states’ to assess the safety of their nuclear installations. The team were awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2005.
"Our industry is growing more complex," said Prof El-Shanawany. "Demand for safe and sustainable energy supply and the introduction of new nuclear reactor designs and plant technology is driving change. Owners, operators, builders and regulatory authorities require independent assurance and verification during the design development and construction phases – as well as in-service. At Lloyd's Register, we will continue to focus on verifying safety criteria and performance to work with the nuclear industry and countries looking at new nuclear power generation, helping to provide the independent assurance they need to make informed decisions."
Prof El-Shanawany will be based in London and will bring with him more than 36 years of experience in the industry. He is also a visiting professor of Nuclear Engineering at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London University.
"Mamdouh has provided design, research and development, criticality safety assessments and policy development for the nuclear industry in the UK, Canada and internationally," said Prof Richard Clegg, Global Director of Lloyd's Register’s nuclear business. "He has a great deal of nuclear-sector knowledge and is able to deliver that important role which connects operational safety issues with commercial acumen for many new-entrant countries."
Clegg said nuclear power has a pivotal role to play in tackling the global challenges of climate change, energy security and energy poverty in the post Fukushima era. But the success of efforts to rebuild public confidence and trust will determine its influence.
A key to rebuilding that trust, Clegg said, will be the openness and transparency with which the industry communicates the results and interpretations of present international safety reviews, including the European Commission’s stress tests.
"In activities such as ours, there is a vital role for the technical expertise and integrity of independent third-parties such as Lloyd’s Register, who can verify safety reviews and their findings," Prof Clegg said. "We are lucky to have such an experienced man to take the lead in this critical area of our nuclear business."
Prior to joining the IAEA, Prof El-Shanawany worked for the UK’s HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, where he was responsible for managing, assessing and approving the licensees' arrangements and safety cases for operating plants.
In the early 90s, he was a Senior Nuclear Safety Specialist, Directorate of Safety Analysis and Assessment, at Atomic Energy Control Board of the Canadian government.


America’s reliance on carbon-based fossil fuels cannot last forever. It’s not that steps haven’t been made to wean us off our addiction to oil, gas and coal-based fuels — between 2008 and 2018, the total amount of renewable electricity like wind and solar power produced in the U.S. has doubled, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Yet in its 2019 Annual Energy Outlook report, that same organization pours cold water on the idea that we’re just a few years — or even a few decades — away from total reliance on non-carbon energy. By their projections, natural gas and coal together will account for 56 percent of electricity generated in the United States in 2050, a relatively small downgrade from the 62 percent it represented in 2018. This is a bad sign for the environment: CO2 emissions rose by 3.4 percent in 2018, the largest increase in 20 years. Scientists have been warning for years that current levels of carbon emissions cannot increase without seriously damaging our planet.
The EIA has its fair share of criticism in the mainstream, to say nothing of the snowball-toting, Luke Skywalker argument against climate change currently being employed by Republicans. But those of us who wouldn’t use a picture of Ronald Reagan riding a dinosaur in a serious presentation (read: normal people) acknowledge that something needs to be done about our dependence on carbon-based sources for energy.
Is Nuclear the Answer?
As the search for a solution to our carbon-fuel dependence continues, some propose that nuclear energy could provide an answer. Normally, nuclear power is generated by nuclear fission, the splitting of uranium atoms, which generates steam that powers turbines to create electricity. This doesn’t require burning coal or gas, making nuclear power a carbon-free source of energy. Nuclear power plants are also highly efficient compared to emerging renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
So we should be building nuclear plants as fast as we can to create new sources of efficient, clean energy — right?
It’s not so cut and dried. The high cost of establishing a nuclear power plant continues to rise — the Union of Concerned Scientists reports that between 2002 and 2008, the cost estimates to build a new nuclear power plant jumped from between $2 and $4 billion up to $9 billion. In the late 2000s, the Westinghouse Electric Company launched a project to design and build a new type of nuclear reactor, the AP1000, with the goal of reducing the cost and time required to establish a plant. It failed spectacularly, running an estimated $13 billion over its allotted budget and forcing Westinghouse into bankruptcy in 2017.
Besides the high cost in comparison to traditional fossil fuels, nuclear energy also has a PR problem, thanks to high-profile disasters in places like Chernobyl (Pripyat), Fukushima and Three Mile Island. In 2016, Gallup reported that more Americans (54 percent) opposed nuclear energy than supported it (44 percent) for the first time since the poll began in 1994.
But what if there was a safer nuclear option, one that didn’t pose as big of a threat in the event of an accident? One that could provide carbon-free power so cheaply and efficiently that consumers would be forced to follow their wallets into a world of clean energy?
“But what if there was a safer nuclear option, one that didn’t pose as big of a threat in the event of an accident? One that could provide carbon-free power so cheaply and efficiently that consumers would be forced to follow their wallets into a world of clean energy?”
Molten Salt and Thorium-Fueled Reactors: Climate Savior or Naive Pipe Dream?
Enter the molten salt nuclear reactor (MSR). Advocates for the technology believe it could help lift the nuclear sector out of its slow decline and provide the world with an important source of clean energy.
It’s important to note before diving in that two distinct concepts are being discussed when molten salt reactors are brought up. The first is a type of nuclear reactor that is cooled by molten fluoride salts instead of water; the second is a molten salt-fueled reactor, where nuclear fuel is dissolved into the salt. Many people also lump both types of MSRs into the same category as thorium-fueled reactors, which are powered by an element called thorium. Proponents believe that thorium is more abundant, safer and more efficient as a nuclear fuel than uranium-238.
DOPE, unfortunately, doesn’t have a nuclear scientist working on staff — yet — so to find out more about MSRs and their potential, we spoke to Nicholas Brown, Ph.D., a professor in the Nuclear Engineering department at the University of Tennessee. From 2015 through 2016, Brown worked on the research and development team at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, a federally-funded research lab that operated the only active molten salt reactor between 1966 and 1969.
Digging into Claims Made by MSR Advocates
One of the big claims made by those who support molten salt reactors is that they are more efficient than uranium-fueled reactors. On this count, fans of molten salt-cooled reactors are technically correct, says Brown.
“When you have a water-cooled reactor, the outlet temperature is 300 degrees C. If you have a salt-cooled reactor, the outlet is 700 degrees C,” he tells me. “When you have heat at a higher temperature, you can use it to drive not just the more efficient production of electricity, but a variety of other processes, such as the desalination of water.” In practical terms, this means that people can do more with the same amount of nuclear fission.
MSR supporters also claim their preferred reactors are much safer than conventional light-water reactors (LWRs) since water being used to cool the fission process is kept at a much higher level of pressure than molten salt. This is also correct, but there’s an important caveat.
“In a pressurized water reactor, the water is at [around] 2000 PSI (pounds per square inch) — because at a higher pressure level, you increase the boiling point. When it’s under that high of a pressure, if you get a break … imagine a balloon. When a balloon pops, everything that was in that balloon, because it’s at higher pressure than everything outside of it … that coolant is going to very rapidly evacuate from the system,” Brown says.
“Molten salt reactors can achieve a 700 degree temperature at almost ambient pressures. So there isn’t a driving force to evacuate the coolant the way there is with a high-pressure coolant like water.”
That difference in pressure can help prevent the spread of radioactive material in the event of an accident, which is important when you consider that most nuclear plants are built on lakes, rivers or oceans.
Practical Power versus “Paper Reactors”
What many pro-MSR folks forget, however, is that existing water-cooled nuclear reactors are already pretty safe.
“Water-cooled reactors have been demonstrated to be very safe, and there’s a lot more experience with them,” Brown says.
It’s true — in six decades of over 17,000 cumulative reactor-years of commercial nuclear power generated in 33 different countries, there have only been three major accidents in the world. The safety difference between MSRs and LWRs could be compared to the difference between going for an evening walk wearing normal clothes, versus wearing a helmet and protective padding: yes, you’re safer in padding if an accident happens, but you were probably already pretty safe to begin with.
The pro-MSR crowd also likes to claim that these reactors are a better global solution because MSRs that use thorium cannot be used to make nuclear weapons. In theory, this means that countries could develop robust systems for nuclear power generation without the rest of the world worrying about a dictator using the technology to drop bombs.
This, however, is a sheer myth. A technical paper sponsored by the Department of Energy and published in the 2012 Nuclear Technology journal states:
All fissile material must be rigorously safeguarded to detect diversion by a state and must be provided the highest levels of physical protection to prevent theft. … No “silver bullet” fuel cycle has been found that will permit the relaxation of current international safeguards or national physical security protection levels.
Julian Kelly, chief technical officer at a Norwegian company researching and testing nuclear fuel based on thorium, stated: “Conspiracy theories about funding denials for thorium work are for the entertainment sector.”
Still, all of this doesn’t mean that there’s no potential for thorium or molten salt reactors. The main problem with them right now, as Brown explained it to me, is that these reactors are largely theoretical. The Oak Ridge reactor of the late 1960s is still the only molten salt reactor ever to operate, and it was largely conceived as a test to prove the viability of the idea.
Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, who helped pioneer the development of nuclear energy for the U.S. Navy in the 1940s and ‘50s, called these untested ideas about nuclear plants “paper reactors,” because the only place they exist is on the pages of academic papers.
As Brown summarizes: “Molten salt reactors are a potentially promising reactor technology to enhance the efficiency of nuclear electricity production and make it more competitive with natural gas … but those that study this field seriously recognize that there are a number of challenges to tackle before MSRs can be deployed commercially.”
For now, the jury is still out on molten salt reactors. But there’s one thing that proponents of all types of nuclear energy can agree on — the world needs to shift away from carbon-intensive fuels sooner, rather than later.


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Nbsp 0183 32 The most likely explanations for this activity would be small processing runs of iron bearing ore of some type caretaker maintenance work or decommissioning of equipment within the plant The observed activity is not indicative of continued uranium oxide production and there are no readily apparent indicators that the plant has processed uranium ore since September 2002
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NRC says Millstone violated safety requirements
Waterford — The Millstone Power Station violated safety requirements by not having adequate documentation in place for the steps that plant staff would follow during an emergency to test the radioactivity level of coolant water.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued notice of the safety violation on Monday. It was categorized as a "green" finding, the lowest level of safety significance, and is being corrected by the plant, according to the NRC notice.
Josephine Ambrosini, senior resident inspector for the NRC at Millstone, said the safety violation was found during an Aug. 20 emergency preparedness exercise that involved the nuclear power plant and 10 communities in its Emergency Planning Zone. The readings of the coolant water, used to keep the reactor from overheating, are supposed to be taken within 15 minutes of an emergency being declared at the plant, she said. During the exercise, plant staff was able to obtain readings at other locations in the plant to assess radioactivity levels, but did not have the written procedures in place to get the coolant readings. The violation pertained mainly to the Unit 3 reactor, she added.
"The exercise wasn't disrupted by it," she said.
Ken Holt, spokesman for Millstone owner Dominion, said there are interim measures now in place so that if an emergency were to occur, staff has written procedures available to follow to take the coolant readings.
"We are also making permanent changes in the procedures," he said.
The coolant readings, he explained, are used to verify radiation readings taken elsewhere in the plant during an emergency.
Millstone has had one other "green" finding this year. In August, the NRC cited the Unit 3 for inadequate documentation of a design weakness in valves that would shut off water flow during an emergency.
Safety violations are ranked on a four-tiered scale — green, white, yellow and red, with red being the most serious. "Green" findings are those that "are not willful or have no immediate safety consequences" and do not result in fines, Ambrosini said.
Stories that may interest you
Robert Carley of Colchester photographs and creates inventive versions of the American flag.
Coastal Connecticut is uniquely situated, not along the open Atlantic Ocean like its neighbor states, but on Long Island and Fishers Island sounds, protected estuaries that offer mostly tame beaches not pounded by surf rolling in from offshore.
On Sunday about 140 residents and their guests gathered on Center Street for the Pine Grove Niantic Association’s annual field day, a tradition that has continued since the private beach community’s founding in 1882.


In this paper, we discuss hard x-ray optics, in general, and lobster-eye focusing optics, in particular, for concealed object
detection, at longer distances. The longer distance (~50m) scenario is important for Improvised Explosives Detection
(IED), "seeing through walls," "seeing objects under ground," and related applications.
There is a worldwide need for efficient inspection of cargo containers at airports, seaports and road border crossings. The main objectives are the detection of contraband such as illicit drugs, explosives and weapons. Due to the large volume of cargo passing through Australia's airports every day, it is critical that any scanning system should be capable of working on unpacked or consolidated cargo, taking at most 1-2 minutes per container. CSIRO has developed a fast-neutron/gamma-ray radiography (FNGR) method for the rapid screening of air freight. By combining radiographs obtained using 14 MeV neutrons and 60Co gamma-rays, high resolution images showing both density and material composition are obtained. A near full-scale prototype scanner has been successfully tested in the laboratory. With the support of the Australian Customs Service, a full-scale scanner has recently been installed and commissioned at Brisbane International Airport.
For evaluating the contents of trucks, containers, cargo, and passenger vehicles by a non-intrusive gamma-ray or X-ray imaging system to determine the possible presence of contraband, three-dimensional (3D) measurements could provide more information than 2D measurements. In this paper, a linear pushbroom scanning model is built for such a commonly used gamma-ray or x-ray cargo inspection system. Accurate 3D measurements of the objects inside a cargo can be
obtained by using two such scanning systems with different scanning angles to construct a pushbroom stereo system. A simple but robust calibration method is proposed to find the important parameters of the linear pushbroom sensors. Then, a fast and automated stereo matching algorithm based on free-form deformable registration is developed to obtain 3D measurements of the objects under inspection. A user interface is designed for 3D visualization of the objects in interests. Experimental results of sensor calibration, stereo matching, 3D measurements and visualization of a 3D cargo container and the objects inside, are presented.
The EURopean Illicit TRAfficing Countermeasures Kit project is part of the 6th European Union Framework Program,
and aims at developing a neutron inspection system for detecting threat materials (explosives, drugs, etc.) in cargo
containers. Neutron interaction in the container produces specific gamma-rays used to determine the chemical
composition of the inspected material. An associated particle sealed tube neutron generator is developed to allow precise
location of the interaction point by direction and time-of-flight measurements of the neutrons tagged by alpha-particles.
The EURITRACK project consists in developing: a transportable deuterium-tritium neutron generator including a
position sensitive alpha detector (8×8 matrix of YAP:Ce crystals coupled to a multi-anode photomultiplier), fast neutron
and gamma-ray detectors, front-end electronics to perform coincidence and spectroscopic measurements, and an
integrated software which manages neutron generator and detectors positioning, data acquisition and analysis. Hardware
components have been developed and tested by the consortium partners. Current status of this work and provisional
performances of the system assessed by Monte Carlo calculations are presented.
Portable device for explosives' detection (SENNA) based on Nanosecond Neutron Analysis (NNA) / Associated Particles Technique (APT) has been created and tested. SENNA is a single suitcase weighting 35 kg; it is remotely controlled from any PC-compatible computer. Inside is an APT neutron generator with a 3×3 matrix of semiconductor detectors of associated alpha-particles, two BGO-based detectors of gamma-rays, fully-digital data acquisition electronics, data analysis and decision-making software, and batteries. Detection technology is based on determining chemical composition of the concealed substance by analyzing secondary gamma-rays from interaction of tagged fast neutrons with its material. A combination of position-sensitive alpha-detector and time-of-flight analysis allows one to determine the location of the detected material within the inspected volume and its approximate mass. Fully digital data acquisition electronics is capable of performing alpha-gamma coincidence analysis at very high counting rates, which leads to reduction of the detection time down to dozens of seconds. SENNA's scenario-driven automatic decisionmaking algorithm based of "fuzzy logic" mechanism allows one to detect not only standard military or industrial explosives, but also improvised explosives (including those containing no nitrogen), even if their chemical composition differs from that of standard explosives. SENNA can also be "trained" to detect other hazardous materials, such as chemical/toxic materials, if their chemical composition is in any way different from that of the surrounding materials.
When neutrons interact with nuclei, the resulting energy of the interaction can be released in the form of gamma rays, whose energy is characteristic of the nucleus involved in the reaction. The PELAN (Pulsed Elemental Analysis with Neutrons) system uses a pulsed neutron generator and an integral thermalizing shield that induce reactions that cover most of the entire neutron energy range. The neutron generator uses a d-T reaction, which releases fast 14 MeV neutrons responsible for providing information on chemical elements such as C, N, and O. During the time period between pulses, the fast neutrons undergo multiple elastic and inelastic interactions that lower their energy making them easier to be captured by chemical elements, such as H and Cl. The PELAN system has been used for a number of applications where non-intrusive, non-destructive interrogation is needed. This report illustrates examples of its performance in interrogations for unexploded ordnance (UXO), landmines, large vehicle bombs and illicit drug detection.
Compact Marx generators based on the wave-erection principle are ideal drivers for flash x-ray systems. Traditional Marx generator design techniques lead to slow rising voltage pulses, marked by high impedances, large temporal jitter values and inefficient transfer of energy. As a result, larger pulse generators are fabricated to overcome these shortcomings, which results in excessive volumes and weights. Applied Physical Electronics, L.C. has been developing Marx generators for many years based on the wave-erection principle. As a result, generators with relatively low source impedances, high impulse voltages and compact geometries are making their way into use as portable flash x-ray drivers. More recently, APELC is extending their compact designs into complete flash x-ray systems, including the diode load. This paper discusses two generator systems that have been developed, basic diode geometries that will be incorporated, and a new novel system designed to generate up to an x-ray energy of 3.2 MeV.
A new neutron interrogation technique for detection of concealed Special Nuclear Material (SNM) is
described. This technique is a combination of timing techniques from pulsed prompt gamma neutron activation analysis
with silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor fast neutron detector technology. SiC detectors are a new class of radiation
detectors that are ultra-fast and capable of processing high count rates. SiC detectors can operate during and within
nanoseconds of the end of an intense neutron pulse, providing the ability to detect the prompt neutron emissions from
fission events produced by the neutrons in concealed SNM on a much faster pulsing time scale than has been achieved
by other techniques.
Neutron-induced fission neutrons in 235U have been observed in the time intervals between pulses of 14-MeV
neutrons from a deuterium-tritium electronic neutron generator. Initial measurements have emphasized the detection of
SNM using thermal-neutron induced fission. Neutron pulsing and time-sequenced neutron counts were carried out on a
hundreds of microseconds time scale, enabling the observation of prompt fission neutrons induced by the die-away of
thermal neutrons following the 14-MeV pulse. A discussion of pulsed prompt-neutron measurements and of SiC
detectors as well as initial measurement results will be presented.
Compton imagers offer a method for passive detection of nuclear material over background radiation. A prototype Compton imager has been constructed using 8 layers of silicon detectors. Each layer consists of a 2×2 array of 2 mm thick cross-strip double-sided silicon detectors with active areas of 5.7 × 5.7 cm2 and 64 strips per side. The detectors are daisy-chained together in the array so that only 256 channels of electronics are needed to read-out each layer of the instrument. This imager is a prototype for a large, high-efficiency Compton imager that will meet operational requirements of Homeland Security for detection of shielded uranium. The instrument can differentiate between different radioisotopes using the reconstructed gamma-ray energy and can also show the location of the emissions with respect to the detector location. Results from the current instrument as well as simulations of the next generation instrument are presented.
Photons with energies above 6 MeV can be used to detect small amounts of nuclear material inside large cargo containers. The method consists in using an intense beam of high-energy photons (bremsstrahlung radiation) in order to induce reactions of photofission on actinides. The measurement of delayed neutrons and delayed gammas emitted by fission products brings specific information on localization and quantification of the nuclear material. A simultaneous measurement of both of these delayed signals can overcome some important limitations due to matrix effects like heavy shielding and/or the presence of light elements as hydrogen. We have a long experience in the field of nuclear waste package characterization by photon interrogation and we have demonstrated that presently the detection limit can be less than one gram of actinide per ton of package. Recently we tried to extend our knowledge to assess the performance of this method for the detection of special nuclear materials in sea and air freights. This paper presents our first results based on experimental measurements carried out in the SAPHIR facility, which houses a linear electron accelerator with the energy range from 15 MeV to 30 MeV. Our experiments were also modeled using the full scale Monte Carlo techniques. In addition, and in a more general frame, due to the lack of consistent data on photonuclear reactions, we have been working on the development of a new photonuclear activation file (PAF), which includes cross sections for more than 600 isotopes including photofission fragment distributions and delayed neutron tables for actinides. Therefore, this work includes also some experimental results obtained at the ELSA electron accelerator, which is more adapted for precise basic nuclear data measurements.
We report on recent progress in the development of the Fast Neutron Imaging Telescope (FNIT), a detector with both imaging and energy measurement capabilities, sensitive to neutrons in the 2-20 MeV range. FNIT was initially conceived to study solar neutrons as a candidate design for the Solar Sentinels program under formulation at NASA. This instrument is now being configured to locate fission neutron sources for homeland security purposes. By accurately identifying the position of the neutron source with imaging techniques and reconstructing the energy spectrum of fission neutrons, FNIT can locate problematic amounts of Special Nuclear Material (SNM), including heavily shielded and masked samples. The detection principle is based on multiple elastic neutron-proton (n-p) scatterings in organic scintillators. By reconstructing the n-p event locations and sequence and measuring the recoil proton energies, the direction and energy spectrum of the primary neutron flux can be determined and neutron point sources identified. The performance of FNIT is being evaluated through a series of Monte Carlo simulations and lab tests of detector prototypes. The Science Model One (SM1) of this instrument was recently assembled and is presently undergoing performance testing.
The detection of shielded special nuclear materials is of great concern to the homeland security community. It is a challenging task that typically requires large detectors arrays to achieve the required sensitivity to detect shielded enriched uranium. We simulated the performance of three different configurations of scintillation detectors in a realistic gamma ray background. The simulations were performed using the GEANT4 simulation package fine tuned for low energy photon transport. The background spectrum was obtained by modeling high-resolution background spectra obtained by various groups in various locations. The performance of a non-imaging scintillating array was compared to the performance of two imaging arrays: a coded aperture imager and a Compton imager. The sensitivity was modeled at three energies for the emission from a 1 kg sphere of uranium enriched to 95% U-235: the 185 keV emission from U-235, the 1001 keV emission from U-238, and the 2614 keV emission from U-232. The instruments were modeled with and without passive shielding. The most detectable signal is the 2.614 MeV emission from U-232 contamination if present at a level greater than tens of parts per trillion. While the non-imaging array has the highest efficiency, it also has the highest background rate and is therefore not the most sensitive instrument. We present the expected performance for the three different configurations.
The Florida Institute for Nuclear Detection and Security (FINDS) is currently working on the design and evaluation of a prototype neutron detector array that may be used for parcel screening systems and homeland security applications. In order to maximize neutron detector response over a wide spectrum of energies, moderator materials of different compositions and amounts are required, and can be optimized through 3-D discrete ordinates and Monte Carlo model simulations verified through measurement. Pu-Be sources can be used as didactic source materials to augment the design, optimization, and construction of detector arrays with proper characterization via transport analysis. To perform the assessments of the Pu-Be Source Capsule, 3-D radiation transport computations are used, including Monte Carlo (MCNP5) and deterministic (PENTRAN) methodologies. In establishing source geometry, we based our model on available source schematic data. Because both the MCNP5 and PENTRAN codes begin with source neutrons, exothermic (α,n) reactions are modeled using the SCALE5 code from ORNL to define the energy spectrum and the decay of the source. We combined our computational results with experimental data to fully validate our computational schemes, tools and models. Results from our computational models will then be used with experiment to generate a mosaic of the radiation spectrum. Finally, we discuss follow-up studies that highlight response optimization efforts in designing, building, and testing an array of detectors with varying moderators/thicknesses tagged to specific responses predicted using 3-D radiation transport models to augment special nuclear materials detection.
NIRST is a pushbroom scanning infrared radiometer that makes use of 512×2 arrays of resistive microbolometers. This instrument comprises mainly two cameras, one operating in the spectral band of 3.4-4.2 μm (band 1) and the other in the bands of 10.4-11.3 (band 2) and 11.4-12.3 μm (band 3). It is intended for the retrievals of forest fire and sea surface temperatures in the Aquarius / SAC-D mission. In this mission the satellite will be launched into a Sun Synchronous polar orbit with an ascending node at 6 PM. This orbit suits the need of discriminating forest fires from solar reflections. NIRST is designed to achieve a spatial resolution of 350 m and a swath width of 180 km at nadir. Its field of view can be steered across track up to 500 km on each side to shorten the revisit time.
To measure fire intensity temperatures NIRST will perform multispectral scans of ground area in bands 1 and 2 and the acquired data will be analyzed using a double band algorithm. The microbolometer detectors have been designed to exhibit useful dynamic range for this application. It is projected that the detector response in band 1 saturates only when NIRST scans a 350 m ground pixel of average temperature of 700 K. The use of the data acquired in bands 2 and 3 allows for the retrieval of sea surface temperature by means of the split algorithm technique.


Three new ECOSENS deliverables representing the complete package of documents necessary for the assessment of the sustainability of nuclear energy to be carried out in the project are now available on the project webpage.
They are reporting on:
- the methodology proposed by WP2 participants for the assessment of the nuclear energy sustainability and discussed during 1st ECOSENS Workshop (1)
- the set of indicators to be used jn the effective application of this methodology (D2.2)
- scenarios proposed for nuclear power development in the European Union at the horizon of 2050 developed based on the ECOSENS investigation of energy demand, existing policies for decarbonization, and impact of societal and technological changes on the future energy market (D2.3)


Survey on the radioactive substance in the coastal areas near Fukushima Prefecture in FY2021
Misono, Toshiharu ; Nakanishi, Takahiro ; Sanada, Yukihisa ; Shiribiki, Takehiko; Urabe, Yoshimi*; Tsuruta, Tadahiko
An accident occurred at the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F) in 2011 and a large amount of radioactive materials were deposited around the 1F. Japan Atomic Energy Agency has continued to conduct research on the dynamics of radioactive materials after the accident. This report summarizes the results of the survey conducted in FY 2021 on the status of marine monitoring survey on radioactive substances. Furthermore, a seabed topography and sediments distribution survey was conducted in the coastal area off the Mano River from the Ohta River to understand the topography and sediment distribution. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the inflow of radioactive Cs from the river, the horizontal distribution of the radioactive Cs concentration on the surface sediment in front of the rivers was measured. As basic information on the effects of radioactive materials on marine products, the distribution status of fish was investigated. In addition, a demonstration test of water sampling and sediment sampling was conducted using an unmanned observation vessel. From these results, we estimated the distribution and its dynamics of radioactive Cs in the sediments in the front area on the 1F.


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EDF Awards Atkins £5m Contract for Enabling Works at Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station
26 Jul 2019
EDF have awarded engineering contractor Atkins a contract worth £5 million to work on the basic design of enabling works for the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.
A major remit of the works is for Atkins to reduce project costs to EDF by 20%, which it is hoped will be made possible by replicating construction techniques and design solutions from Hinkley Point C in Somerset.
The proposed Sizewell C would be built directly to the north of the existing Sizewell B nuclear power station, and would comprise two 1,670 MW EPR reactors capable of supplying 20% of the UK’s electricity.
Sizewell C is currently at stage 4 of public consultations, after which EDF will submit an application to the Planning Inspectorate for development consent for the nuclear new build development.
Do you want to work on exciting projects within Nuclear?
For 30 years Millbank have been involved in some of the country’s most vital nuclear projects.
If you have experience within the Nuclear or other highly regulated sectors, from new build to operations and decommissioning, register your CV on the Millbank website today and we will send you relevant opportunities as they are released, or take a look at the jobs below.


The USS Nautilus: Nuclear Science Week
It's Nuclear Science Week--a national and international, broadly observed week-long celebration to focus local, regional, national and inter
Nature at Night: Learning After Dark
(Source) Do you like the unusual? Why not do a little bit of science exploration after dark and shake up the HOW and WHERE for learning?...


Levels of radioactive fallout are often much higher than you might expect. Nuclear power, missile tests, and improper disposal of radioactive materials has led to widespread contamination. But this is where biodynamics can help.
We measured radioactivity levels on a 20 year biodynamic farm immediately adjacent to a neighboring conventional farm. The Biodynamic Storch farm was very safe — only 4.5% of the total safe level for the farm! On the other hand, the adjacent farm was 307.7% the safe level of radioactive fallout — that’s more than three times the safe levels!
Click here for interactive chart.
This is an incredible difference between two adjacent farms. What do you think of this?


I have to think about the New Mexican people being proud on the nuclear bomb test in their neighborhood. In Germany, people wouldn't be proud if next to them nuclear weapons had been tested. They would be worried about all the radiations they would have. I read that on July 16, 1945 the first nuclear bomb was detonated in the "Trinity Site" and that was the beginning of the nuclear age in the United States. People here are proud of being at a place which marks the beginning of a new age instead being worried about radiation.
The beginning of the nuclear age in Germany was December 17, 1938 when Otto Hahn proofed nuclear fission in a experiment. It's interesting that to enter the nuclear age an experiment which fits on a table is enough in Germany while in the US a nuclear bomb, named "Fat Man", has to be detonated. Maybe, the reason for that is that the United States is bigger and has more population than Germany. I guess, after Otto Hahn performed the nuclear fission experiment, he told his college by speaking with him through the window: "Fritz, I have split nuclei. We are now in the nuclear age." Fritz answered with a simple: "Cool". Later that day, Fritz told everyone he knew the good news and so Germany knew in which age it was.
Here in the US, you can't let everyone know by speaking through your window. Here, you need something bigger, something much louder and something glaring like the sun - you need "Fat Man"


The scope of the massive cyberattack on the U.S. federal government continued to expand on Thursday.
"The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies, officials directly familiar with the matter said. On Thursday, DOE and NNSA officials began coordinating notifications about the breach to their congressional oversight bodies," Politico's Natasha Bertrand reported Thursday.
"They found suspicious activity in networks belonging to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories in New Mexico and Washington, the Office of Secure Transportation and the Richland Field Office of the DOE. The hackers have been able to do more damage at FERC than at the other agencies, the officials said, but did not elaborate," Politico noted.
SCOOP/BREAKING NEWS: The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. n… https://t.co/G5MvRaIlaa— Natasha Bertrand (@Natasha Bertrand) 1608237022.0
DOE and NNSA officials have begun coordinating notifications about the breach to their congressional oversight bodi… https://t.co/qFuseY07VR— Natasha Bertrand (@Natasha Bertrand) 1608237139.0


MAS solid-state NMR is capable of determining structures of protonated solid proteins using proton-detected experiments. These experiments are performed at MAS rotation frequency of around 110 kHz, employing 0.5 mg of material. Here, we compare (1)H, (13)C correlation spectra obtained from protonated and deuterated microcrystalline proteins at MAS rotation frequency of 111 kHz, and show that the spectral quality obtained from deuterated samples is superior to those acquired using protonated samples in terms of resolution and sensitivity. In comparison to protonated samples, spectra obtained from deuterated samples yield a gain in resolution on the order of 3 and 2 in the proton and carbon dimensions, respectively. Additionally, the spectrum from the deuterated sample yields approximately 2-3 times more sensitivity compared to the spectrum of a protonated sample. This gain could be further increased by a factor of 2 by making use of stereospecific precursors for biosynthesis. Although the overall resolution and sensitivity of (1)H, (13)C correlation spectra obtained using protonated solid samples with rotation frequencies on the order of 110 kHz is high, the spectral quality is still poor when compared to the deuterated samples. We believe that experiments involving large protein complexes in which sensitivity is limiting will benefit from the application of deuteration schemes.


The flow behavior of gas and liquid properties are analytically and experimentally investigated.
A highly capable software package is available for flow analysis, which may also be used for static and dynamic FEM-analyses. For experimental flow investigations there exits a laboratory with various capable air and water test equipment.
A specialty is a steam test facility, which can operate at steam conditions of a primary circuit of a pressurizer water reactor up to 200 bar and 370°C. The electrically heated steam generator produces 1 t of steam / h under the above mentioned conditions. Located behind the steam generator is a pressure vessel with 3 test rigs. Tests within the laboratory could eliminate a part of the hot commissioning on site.


Latest Nuclear safety Stories
The international Laboratory Safety Culture Survey will gather data on researchers’ safety practices and attitudes; information to provide guidance for future safety policies and procedures.
A Japanese government panel warned that there could be power outages this summer if three Japanese utilities do not get much needed energy from nuclear reactors that have been on shutdown since the Fukushima crisis more than a year ago.
For the first time in four decades, Japan will be without nuclear power, as the last of its 50 reactors was shut down Saturday.
New research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) may have an impact in a range of industries, from engineering to pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- To swell, as grain or wood with water.


13.09.2023 - Beznau nuclear power plant (KKB) has completed the overhaul of block 2. The Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) has given its approval for the resumption of operations. KKB 2 will thus start a new operating cycle. The plant will continue providing an essential contribution to the security of supply in Switzerland.
The overhaul focused on comprehensive maintenance work, periodic tests and inspections. Out of 121 fuel elements, 20 were replaced. The employees of the KKB re-ceived support from several hundred external experts from the region, Switzerland and abroad.
Following approval by ENSI, KKB 2 returns to power operation with the first turbine group. The second turbine group will follow in the next days due to a delay in the delivery of spare parts. As the plant powers up again, steam will be visible above the non-nuclear part of the plant (engine room) at times. There is no danger to people or the environment.
The Beznau nuclear power plant produces around 6 terawatt hours of electricity in a safe, reliable and climate-friendly way every year – meeting about one tenth of Swit-zerland’s electricity requirements. The two power plant blocks are taken off grid sep-arately in spring/summer for fuel element replacement or overhaul. They then resume a contribution to Switzerland’s security of supply for around another year, something which is particularly vital in the winter months.


Radionuclides have now become part and parcel of our lives, and there does not seem any escape from them. Radionuclides have shown immense application potential in various fields of science and medicine, and thus, their management acquires utmost priority. Radioisotopes also command natural existence in almost all the excavated mineral ores and fossil fuels besides fertilizer and industrial waste that is generated following burning of fossil fuels. Widespread acceptability of nuclear power plants as the most potent, viable, and practical alternative to produce power to meet huge electricity demand of the domestic and industrial sectors further reveals how the nuclear technology has entered our lives. Add to it the demolishing power of the nuclear technology which is also muscled several times in the past by the developing and developed countries alike. Enrichment of water bodies with radioactive uranium of geological origin is also a concern. Add to it the challenge of climate change that we greatly impede or hasten the geological transition of radionuclides from the nonmobile or immobilized moieties into the mobile forms to contaminate soil and water bodies across a larger region, thus also risking the contamination of food chain. This chapter collates information available on changes in soil and plant attributes that may take place under the climate change scenario to alter the transfer of radioactivity in the environment particularly the soil to plant continuum. The triggers, challenges, and likely adaptation opportunities are discussed.


Business News›International Atomic Energy Agency
INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
Russia-Ukraine war: UN Nuclear Chief Visits Chernobyl, says Plant seizure risked accident
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Russian troops risked causing an accident attempting to seize control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Speaking during a visit to the plant on Tuesday, IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said despite the aversion of any ...
IAEA chief to head mission to Chernobyl next week
Since the withdrawal of the Russian military from the Chernobyl plant, Ukraine has taken significant steps for the safe and secure operation of the site of world's worst nuclear accident, where various radioactive waste management facilities are now located. It has carried out the first rotation of staff in three weeks, and earlier this week it re-established direct communications between the plant and the nuclear regulator that had been down for more than a month.
India to import 100 tonne of uranium to power nuclear power plants in FY23
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances; Pensions and Prime Minister's Office said 100 tonne of natural uranium in the form of uranium ore concentrate is scheduled to be imported during 2022-23.
Chernobyl staff rotated out for first time since site's capture by Russian forces
More than three weeks ago Russian forces took control of the waste facilities near the now-defunct power plant that was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986.
IAEA: Power line repairs begin at Chernobyl
The Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog said that it still isn't receiving data from monitoring systems installed to monitor nuclear material and activities at Chernobyl, but transmission from the Zaporizhzhia plant Ukraine's biggest, which Russian forces seized last week has been restored after being lost earlier this week. The Ukrainian nuclear regulator said Friday that workers repaired one section of the lines, but there still appears to be damage in other places.
IAEA calls extraordinary meeting to discuss UkraineAlso on Sunday the IAEA said it had been informed by Ukraine that "missiles hit the site of a radioactive waste disposal facility in Kiev overnight but there were no reports of damage to the building or any indications of a radioactive release".
Man who pushed Pokhran-I nuclear test button dies in USIn an earlier interaction with TOI, Dastidar had recalled the thrilling and exciting moments at Pokhran, just before he had pulled the trigger. How Dastidar was chosen for the critical task is explained by physicist Raja Ramanna, a key figure behind the nuclear test, in his autobiography, 'Years Of Pilgrimage'.
IAEA chief vows close consultations with South Korea over Fukushima water release planRafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the pledge during his meeting with Ham Sang-wook, Seoul's deputy foreign minister for multilateral affairs, in Vienna on Friday, according to the ministry.
IAEA: North Korea appears to have resumed nuke reactor operationThe annual report by the International Atomic Energy Agency refers to a 5-megawatt reactor at the North's main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang. The reactor produces plutonium, one of the two key ingredients used to build nuclear weapons along with highly enriched uranium.
China launches first commercial onshore small reactor projectCNNC originally aimed to start building the project at the Changjiang nuclear reactor complex on the island province of Hainan in 2017, but it has been subject to regulatory delays.
Iran says nuclear site images won't be given to IAEA as deal has expiredThe announcement could further complicate talks between Iran and six major powers on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal. Three years ago then U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran; Iran reacted by violating many of the deal's restrictions on its nuclear programme.
Ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen signals Israel behind Iran nuclear attacksIt also gave a clear warning to other scientists in Iran's nuclear program that they too could become targets for assassination even as diplomats in Vienna try to negotiate terms to try to salvage its atomic accord with world powers.
Iran nuclear deal rescue needs more time, envoys say ahead of fresh talksIranian demands about sanctions relief and Western concern over Iran's expanding nuclear know-how are among questions that may need weeks or possibly months of further negotiations, the diplomats and analysts said.
UN nuclear watchdog sees indications of plutonium work in North KoreaThe International Atomic Energy Agency has not had access to the secretive state since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009. The country then pressed ahead with its nuclear weapons programme and soon resumed nuclear testing. Its last detonation of a nuclear weapon was in 2017.
IAEA head calls Iran's nuclear programme "very concerning": FTIran was enriching uranium at purity levels that "only countries making bombs are reaching", Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the newspaper.
Iran and world powers resume nuclear deal talksThe talks in Vienna came the day after the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, struck a last-minute agreement with Tehran for a one-month extension to a deal on surveillance cameras at Iran's nuclear sites.
Iran says inspectors may no longer get nuclear sites imagesThe comments by Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, aired by state TV, further underscored the narrowing window for the U.S. and others to reach terms with Iran.
Iran nuclear talks show increasing hopes of a resolutionEnrique Mora, the European Union official who chaired the talks between Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain and Iran told reporters ``we have made substantial progress'' though there were ``still things to be worked out.''
Explained: Iran atomic sites targeted by diplomacy and sabotageThe attack Sunday at Natanz comes as world powers try to negotiate a return by Iran and the U.S. to Tehran's atomic accord. The sabotage threatens to upend those negotiations and further heighten regional tensions across the Mideast.
UAE to host IAEA's most complex nuclear crisis drillThe exercise, which will involve more than 170 countries, will be held at the UAE's Barakah nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast west of the capital Abu Dhabi, which lies some 340 kilometres (210 miles) from Iranian shores.
New photos suggest North Korea may be trying to extract plutoniumThe 38 North website, which specializes in North Korea studies, cited the imagery as indicating that a coal-fired steam plant at the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex is in operation after about a two-year hiatus. Smoke was observed emanating from the plant's smokestack at various times from late February and early March.
UN: Iran increasing uranium enrichment purity, quantitiesThe International Atomic Energy Agency reported in a confidential document distributed to member countries that as of Feb. 16, Iran had added 17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) of uranium enriched to 20% to its stockpile.
Iran's Zarif says ending IAEA snap inspections doesn't breach 2015 nuclear deal"All our steps (to breach the deal) are reversible...The move on Feb. 23 is not abandoning the deal," Zarif said in a televised interview with Iran's English Language Press TV.
Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demands 'action, not words' from Joe Biden to revive nuclear dealTehran has set a deadline of next week for Biden to begin reversing sanctions imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump, or Iran will take its biggest step yet to violate the nuclear deal -- banning short-notice inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Pandemic caused slump in tests and procedures for heart disease, numbers fell by almost two-thirdsThe survey found there was a 64% reduction in cardiology diagnostic procedures in March-April 2020 compared with 2019.
Iran asks International Atomic Energy Agency not to publish 'unnecessary' nuke detailsThe report quoted a statement from Iran's nuclear department that asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to avoid publishing details on Iran's nuclear program that may cause confusion.
European Union warns Iran enrichment moves could imperil nuclear dealEuropean Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Iran's intention to enrich uranium up to 20 per cent at the Fordo underground nuclear facility "is a very serious development and a matter of deep concern," and "has very severe proliferation implications." Last week, Iran began enriching uranium to levels unseen since the deal was struck in 2010.Load More
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The THOR® fluidized bed steam reforming process has been successfully operated for more than 10 years in the United States for the treatment of low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes generated by commercial nuclear power plants. The principle waste stream that has been treated is ion exchange resins (IER) and Dry Active Waste (DAW), but various liquids, sludges, and solid organic wastes have also been treated. The principle advantages of the THOR® process include: (a) high volume reduction on the order of 5:1 to 10:1 for IER and up to 50:1 for high plastic content DAW streams depending on the waste type and waste characteristics, (b) environmentally compliant off-gas emissions, (c) reliable conversion of wastes into mineralized products that are durable and leach-resistant, and (d) no liquid effluents for treatment of most radioactive wastes. Over the past ten years, the THOR® process has been adapted for the treatment of more complex wastes including historic defense wastes, reprocessing wastes, and other wastes associated with the fuel cycle. As part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) environmental remediation activities, the THOR® dual bed steam reforming process has successfully processed: (a) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Sodium-Bearing Waste (SBW), (b) Savannah River Tank 48 High Level Waste (HLW), (c) Hanford Low Activity Waste (LAW), and (d) Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Secondary Waste (WTP-SW) liquid slurry simulants. The THOR® process has been shown in pilot plant operations to successfully process various simulated liquid, radioactive, nitrate-containing wastes into environmentally safe, leach-resistant, solid mineralized products. These mineralized products incorporate normally soluble ions (e.g. - Na, K, Cs, Tc), sulfates, chloride salts, and fluoride salts into an alkali alumino-silicate mineral matrix that inhibits the leaching of those ions into the environment. The solid mineralized products produced by the THOR® process exhibit durability and leach resistance characteristics superior to borosilicate waste glasses. As a result of this work, a full-scale THOR® process facility is currently under construction at the DOE's Idaho site for the treatment of SBW and a full-scale facility is in the final design stage for the DOE's Savannah River Site for the treatment of Tank 48 high level waste. Recent work has focused on the development of new monolithic waste formulations, the extension of the THOR® process to new waste streams, and the development of modular THOR® processes for niche waste treatment applications. This paper will provide an overview of current THOR® projects and summarize the processes and outcomes of the regulatory and safety reviews that have been necessary for the THOR® process to gain acceptance in the USA.


Russian nuclear scientists, tempted to emigrate to countries eager to acquire their skills for military purposes, will be paid to stay put under a new agreement signed by United States energy secretary Bill Richardson.
The US will allot $20 million in assistance to scientists and workers in 35 formerly secret and semi-secret cities and facilities of the nuclear defence industry.
These, like all government-paid workers in Russia, are particularly vulnerable to downswings in the economy since, when short of ready cash, the Russian government simply defers payingwages, sometimes for months at a time.
Drastic action, such as a hunger strike, wins a temporary respite for a particular sector, but within a few months the arrears of wages build up again.
Russia's new government started well with a pledge to pay off its debts to nuclear and arms workers and it carried out its promise. But the pay-off was accompanied by a decision to cut 45,000 jobs in the sector before the end of the year.
This triggered US fears that the redundant scientists might get tempting offers from third-world countries with nuclear ambitions.
The US has been providing assistance to impoverished Russian nuclear scientists since 1994. According to the newspaper Novyye Izvestiya, it is probably one of the few instances of US aid which has really helped the intended recipients. Even so, the response to the announced job cuts was rapid - reflecting high-level concern in Washington.
This latest aid package, which will formally be part of an anti-nuclear proliferation programme, will be targeted on the city of Sarov, formerly the Armazas-16 secret nuclear centre east of Moscow.
It will be financed not only from the US budget but also from various US and European private funds and companies.


The magazine is due out soon, but we have received a PDF preview of it. It looks great and the editorial content is amazing as well. One interesting chapter analyzes the way the media reports nuclear power in Japan. The article exposes the close economic ties between industry and media, giving rise to doubts about the impartiality we expect from media outlets.
In another article Tomohiko Susuki analyzes the work conditions at nuclear plants, bringing to light backstage information of life in a nuclear plant. A report from the Nuclear Power Free World in Yokohama in January 2012 quotes mayors of towns near Fukushima reactors and other nuclear power plants in Japan. They spoke passionately against nuclear power. And there is much more in this instigating and timely publication.
The issue of nuclear power haunts Japan, especially around this time of the year when the country remembers the nuclear attacks on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which took place on August 6th and August 9th 1945, respectively.


Russian energy officials said they have begun loading fuel into the first reactor at the new Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), while at the same time confirming plans for the start-up of a second reactor at the site in Astravets. The plant is the first nuclear power facility to be built in Belarus.
The project has moved forward despite fierce opposition from neighboring Lithuania, where officials have voiced safety concerns since work on the plant began in 2011. Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, is about 30 miles from Astravets, and the Lithuanian government has said it will not import electricity from the plant due to national security concerns. Lithuania, along with Estonia and Latvia, also has considered placing fees on power imports from Russia due to the plant’s construction.
Alexander Lokshin, the first deputy director general for operational management at Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear company, on August 7 said a second reactor at the site is scheduled for completion in mid-2022. The plant is being built by Atomstroyexport, a Rosatom subsidiary.
Fuel loading of Unit 1 at the plant began Friday, and a total of 163 fuel assemblies are expected to be loaded by the end of August. Unit 1 is a VVER-1200 reactor (water-water energetic reactor), built using the Russian AES-2006 design, and the second reactor will be the same model. Each reactor will have 1,200 MW of generation capacity. Unit 1 is scheduled to enter commercial operation by the end of this year.
“The Republic of Belarus has become the owner of a power unit built according to the latest Gen 3+ technologies,” Alexecy Likhachev, Rosatom general director, said in an email to POWER. “This technology has been proved and tested through the operation of similar power units in Russia. They meet all the post-Fukushima safety requirements, and all the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] missions have recognized their reliability. It is very important for us that we have built the first VVER-1200 unit abroad in the Republic of Belarus, a good neighbor of ours.”
Officials in Belarus have repeatedly said the plant meets IAEA requirements, citing several inspections by the agency. Officials also said representatives of the European Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group have overseen the project’s construction.
Plant’s Safety Questioned
Despite those assurances about the plant’s safety, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Friday called the plant a “threat to our state’s national security, public health and environment.” Zygimantas Vaiciunas, Lithuania’s energy minister, said he had warned the IAEA about what he called the Belarus government’s haste to launch the project.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia all want to decouple from their Soviet-era common power system by 2025.
Russian officials have said the Astravets plant will cost $10 billion. It is financed with a state loan that will be paid over a 25-year period.
“We are building many nuclear power plant units across the globe and Belarusian specialists already participate in two construction projects of ours, the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia and the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh,” Lokshin said in announcing the construction timeline for Unit 2.
Export of Russian Technology
Unit 1 at the Belarus site is the first reactor of the newest Gen 3+ type using Russian technologies to be built outside Russia. There are units of that type currently operating in Russia—two at the Novovoronezh NPP, and one at the Leningrad NPP. Russian officials have said the VVER-1200, an upgrade from the previous VVER-1000 reactor, is not only more advanced but also safer, and will operate more efficiently, with a better economic profile.
“Compared to the power units with the VVER-1000 reactor of the previous generation, the innovative Gen 3+ power unit with the VVER-1200 reactor has a number of advantages that significantly increase its economic performance and safety,” Andrey Petrov, general director of the Rosenergoatom, and first vice president for nuclear power plant construction of the ASE Group, said in a statement shared with POWER.
Rosatom told POWER in a statement that the main feature of the VVER-1200 “is a combination of active and passive safety systems that make the NPP fully resistant to external and internal influences. For example, all power units are equipped with a core catcher, a device provided to catch the molten core material of a nuclear reactor, as well as other passive safety systems capable of operating in complete power outage and without operators. In addition, the capacity of the power unit has increased by 20%, the number of maintenance personnel has been significantly reduced, and the design life of the main equipment has been doubled from 30 to 60 years with the possibility of extending it for another 20 years.”
Belarus Wants to Reduce Reliance on Russian Natural Gas
The nuclear power plant is a part of Belarus’ energy strategy formulated over the past decade, as the country wants to reduce reliance on Russian-sourced natural gas, which today generates about 95% of the country’s electricity. The Belarus energy plant also calls for construction of a 1,000-MW coal-fired plant, four hydropower stations with a total capacity of 120 MW, and wind projects totaling 300 MW.
Belarusian officials have said the plan, if fully implemented, would reduce the country’s share of power generation from Russian natural gas to about 55%.
Rosatom told POWER that Atomenergomash JSC, the company’s mechanical engineering division, is supplying all key equipment of the nuclear island for the Belarusian NPP. Fuel for the plant is produced at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, which is part of TVEL, the Russian nuclear fuel cycle company that belongs to a Rosatom subsidiary. The fuel’s enrichment level varies from 1.3% to 4.4%, according to Rosatom.
Rosatom told POWER that the company currently has 25 reactors under construction in nine countries, with an international order portfolio of 36 VVER units at different stages of implementation in 12 countries.
—Darrell Proctor is associate editor for POWER (@DarrellProctor1, @POWERmagazine).


An ultra-high-resolution technique used for the first time to study polymer fibers that trap uranium in seawater may cause researchers to rethink the best methods to harvest this potential fuel for nuclear reactors.
The work of a team led by Carter Abney, a Wigner Fellow at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, shows that the polymeric adsorbent materials that bind uranium behave nothing like scientists had believed. The results, gained through collaboration with the University of Chicago and detailed in a paper published in Energy & Environmental Science, highlight data made possible with X-ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy performed at the Advanced Photon Source. The APS is a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Argonne National Laboratory.
“Despite the low concentration of uranium and the presence of many other metals extracted from seawater, we were able to investigate the local atomic environment around uranium and better understand how it is bound by the polymer fibers,” Abney said.
Surprisingly, the spectrum for the seawater-contacted polymer fibers was distinctly different from what was expected based on small molecule and computational investigations. Researchers concluded that for this system the approach of studying small molecule structures and assuming that they accurately represent what happens in a bulk material simply doesn’t work.
It is necessary to consider large-scale behavior to obtain the complete picture, highlighting the need for developing greater computational capabilities, according to Abney.
“This challenges the long-held assumption regarding the validity of using simple molecular-scale approaches to determine how these complex adsorbents bind metals,” Abney said. “Rather than interacting with just one amidoxime, we determined multiple amidoximes would have to cooperate to bind each uranium molecule and that a second metal that isn’t uranium also participates in forming this binding site.”
An amidoxime is the chemical group attached to the polymer fiber responsible for binding uranium.
Abney and colleagues plan to use this knowledge to design adsorbents that can harness the vast reserves of uranium dissolved in seawater. The payoff promises to be significant.
“Nuclear power production is anticipated to increase with a growing global population, but estimates predict only 100 years of uranium reserves in terrestrial ores,” Abney said. “There is approximately 1,000 times that amount dissolved in the ocean, which would meet global demands for the foreseeable future.”
The Latest on: Extracting uranium from seawater
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The Latest on: Extracting uranium from seawater
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However, indications suggest nuclear energy could one day become as renewable as hydroelectric as we venture into extracting uranium from seawater. Chinese scientists have already started to ...
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Alongside desalination of seawater, a variety of valuable minerals and resources rich in the ocean can be extracted simultaneously, including uranium and lithium. Hydrogels are soft materials made ...
- Extracting uranium from seawater as another source of nuclear fuel (IMAGE)on December 21, 2023 at 10:41 am
on its surface from uranium-spiked seawater. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the ...
- Children of Uraniumon May 8, 2023 at 1:00 am
Most of the mine's employees didn't even know they were extracting uranium, but quartz or lead. People were not supposed to talk about this and they still don't. Even though in February 2009 the ...
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