Custom equipment lets ORNL scale up molten salt investigations

August 8, 2024, 9:30AMNuclear News
A glass test cell that was fabricated to visualize noble gas behavior in a stagnant molten salt column. (Photo: ORNL)

Transparency is one advantage of certain molten salts that could serve as both a coolant and fuel carrier in an advanced reactor. For scientists studying molten salt chemistry and behavior at the laboratory scale, it helps if the test vessel is transparent too. Now, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has created a custom glass test cell with a 1-liter capacity to observe how gases move within a column of molten salt, the Department of Energy announced August 5.

Schwarzenegger slams Germany, praises U.S., on nuclear

August 7, 2024, 3:05PMANS Nuclear Cafe
Photo: The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative

Actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger recently criticized Germany for shutting down its remaining nuclear power plants last year. Speaking in June in his native Austria at the 2024 Austrian World Summit, a climate conference held in Vienna, Schwarzenegger noted the contradiction of the German government’s stated goal of cutting carbon emissions while simultaneously eliminating the clean-energy source of nuclear power.

DARPA wants to bypass the thermal middleman in nuclear power systems

August 7, 2024, 12:00PMNuclear News
AI-generated concept image. (Image: DARPA)

Nuclear power already has an energy density advantage over other sources of thermal electricity generation. But what if nuclear generation didn’t require a steam turbine? What if the radiation from a reactor was less a problem to be managed and more a source of energy? And what if an energy conversion technology could scale to fit nuclear power systems ranging from miniature batteries to the grid? The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is asking these types of questions in a request for information on High Power Direct Energy Conversion from Nuclear Power Systems, released August 1.

Pew shows majority support for U.S. nuclear

August 7, 2024, 9:30AMNuclear News

A number of surveys and polls, such as Bisconti Research and University of Michigan surveys, have found steady or growing support for nuclear energy among Americans during the past several years. The Pew Research Center on Aug. 5 reported its nuclear-related findings from its survey conducted in May with a representative sample of U.S. adults. The results show 56 percent of respondents favor the construction of additional nuclear power plants in the United States.

That level of support is similar to last year’s findings (57 percent support) and is up substantially from the 43 percent, 50 percent, and 54 percent that Pew Research reported in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively.

Singapore, U.S. sign 123 Agreement

August 7, 2024, 6:53AMNuclear News
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken (left) with Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan. (Photo: X/@SecBlinken)

The United States and Singapore have signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, commonly known as a 123 Agreement.

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken and Singapore’s minister of foreign affairs Vivian Balakrishan met on July 31 to formalize the agreement, which outlines a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear collaboration between the two nations based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation.

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DNFSB to hold public meeting on aging management

August 6, 2024, 3:00PMRadwaste Solutions

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, which provides safety oversight of Department of Energy sites, is holding a public hearing on August 14 on benchmarking of best practices in the management of aging infrastructure.

According to the DNFSB, the goal of the hearing is to gather information from relevant organizations on best practices in infrastructure aging management to inform the development of potential safety improvements to DOE programs.

Honoring Dennis Wilkinson on the 106th anniversary of his birth

August 6, 2024, 12:01PMANS Nuclear CafeAnn Marie Daniel Winters

Vice Admiral Eugene P. “Dennis” Wilkinson (Photo: U.S. Navy)

August 10, 2024, marks the 106th birthday of Vice Admiral Eugene P. “Dennis” Wilkinson of the U.S. Navy (who died in his 95th year in July 2013). It is a fitting time to reflect on and honor the man who contributed so much to the navy and the worldwide nuclear power industry.

This video about the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944—the largest naval battle of World War II and a major contributing factor to the end of Japanese involvement—provides an exciting recount of the heroic U.S. submarines USS Darter (SS-227) and USS Dace (SS-247). A young Dennis Wilkinson was the torpedo data computer operator on the Darter, for which he was awarded the Silver Star. Wilkinson’s first-person recollections of this pivotal moment in U.S. naval history have been collected in Underway on Nuclear Power: The Man Behind the Words (2016, ANS).

The United States and Japan began rebuilding relations after the war. In 1966, Wilkinson, by then an admiral, was assigned chief of staff, U.S. Forces Japan, to continue those efforts.

Energy analyst: Clean energy dreams come only with advanced nuclear

August 6, 2024, 9:31AMANS Nuclear Cafe

Wald

“We’re going to have to do things differently if we hope to trim the output of climate-changing emissions,” writes Matthew L. Wald in an essay recently published by the Breakthrough Institute. Wald is an independent energy analyst, writer, and Nuclear News contributor who formerly worked for the Nuclear Energy Institute and the New York Times. In the essay, he says that despite optimism surrounding progress in clean energy, consumption of fossil fuels is growing, and greenhouse gas emissions are increasing.

Wald suggests that this situation is unlikely to turn around until small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear technologies are demonstrated to be commercially viable.

Race to zero emissions? Wald notes that “global consumption of fossil fuels grew 1.5 percent last year.” Furthermore, “the fossil mix is getting worse; oil was up even faster than total fossil consumption, and demand passed 100 million barrels a day for the first time.

Making AI fit for purpose: DOE-led applications in energy and nuclear research

August 5, 2024, 12:00PMNuclear News
The ALCF AI Testbed includes the AI systems represented in this collage: Cerebras, Graphcore, Groq, and SambaNova. (Image: Argonne National Laboratory)

Generative artificial intelligence paired with advanced diagnostic tools could detect potential problems in nuclear power plants and deliver a straightforward explanation to operators in real time. That’s the premise of research out of the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, and just one example of the DOE’s increasing exploration of AI applications in nuclear science and technology research. Training and restraining novel AI systems take expertise and data, and the DOE has access to both. According to a flurry of reports and announcements in recent months, the DOE is setting out its plans to ensure the United States can use AI to its advantage to enhance energy security and national security.

IAEA: Cooling pond water levels decreasing at Ukraine nuclear plant

August 5, 2024, 9:30AMNuclear News

The water level in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant cooling pond continues to decrease, creating a serious safety threat.

“If this trend continues, ZNPP staff confirmed that it will soon become challenging to pump water from the pond. Maintaining the level of the pond is made more difficult by the hot summer weather,” said Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in an update issued August 2.

Segmentation of Italy’s Garigliano reactor vessel continues

August 5, 2024, 7:00AMRadwaste Solutions
Remote equipment is used to remove components from the Garigliano reactor vessel. (Photo: Sogin)

Sogin (Società Gestione Impianti Nucleari), the state-owned company responsible for the decommissioning of Italy’s nuclear plants and the management of radioactive waste, announced on July 30 that it has completed the first phase of dismantling Garigliano nuclear power plant’s reactor vessel with the removal of contaminated metal components from the deflector.

The JT-60SA project

August 2, 2024, 3:01PMNuclear NewsTakahiro Suzuki
Fig. 1. A photograph (left) and schematic figure (right) of JT-60SA. (Source: Naka Institute)

JT-60SA (Japan Torus-60 Super Advanced) is the world’s largest superconducting tokamak device. Its goal is the earlier realization of fusion energy (see Fig. 1). Fusion is the energy that powers the Sun, and just 1 gram of deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel produces enormous energy—the equivalent of 8 tons of crude oil.

Last fall, the JT-60SA project announced an important milestone: the achievement of the tokamak’s first plasma. This article describes the objectives of the JT-60SA project, achievements in the operation campaign for the first plasma, and next steps.

Constellation accepting applications for 2024 Energy to Educate grant program

August 2, 2024, 12:00PMNuclear News

Constellation is taking applications for its 2024 E2 Energy to Educate grant program, which provides funding for student projects focusing on energy innovation.

Educators and students in grades 6–12 can apply for program grants of up to $25,000, and those in two- and four-year colleges can apply for grants of up to $50,000.

Navajo Nation tests tribal law banning uranium transport

August 2, 2024, 9:31AMNuclear News

Members of the Navajo Nation are challenging the legality of uranium ore transport from a mine in Arizona across tribal lands to a processing facility in Utah.

A 2012 law bans uranium transport on the vast Navajo Nation land, which covers portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren issued an executive order on Wednesday saying that there must be an agreement before uranium is transported through the reservation.

Subsequent license renewal critical to meeting U.S. climate goals

August 2, 2024, 7:01AMNuclear NewsDoug Lawrence

Doug Lawrence

As the United States intensifies its efforts to combat climate change and transition to a low-carbon energy future, the role of nuclear energy has never been more critical.

One key strategy in this transition is the subsequent license renewal (SLR) of our existing nuclear power plants, allowing them to operate for up to 80 years. This extension brings several significant benefits.

Continued low-carbon energy production—By extending the life of existing nuclear power plants, we ensure a steady supply of low-carbon energy, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and helping meet our nation’s emission reduction targets. Given that nuclear power currently provides nearly 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply and more than half of its low-carbon electricity, maintaining this capacity is vital for a sustainable energy future.

DOE asks for input on spent fuel package safety demonstration

August 1, 2024, 3:00PMRadwaste Solutions
The Atlas railcar carries a simulated shipment of spent nuclear fuel during testing in September 2023. (Photo: DOE)

The Department of Energy has issued a request for information to gather input on its proposed package performance demonstration, which is intended to demonstrate the robustness of spent nuclear fuel transportation casks in hypothetical accident conditions. By simulating severe accident scenarios, the DOE said it intends to show to the public and stakeholders the safety and reliability of transporting SNF by rail, heavy-haul truck, and barge.

TVA exploring advanced nuclear plans at Clinch River, Bellefonte

August 1, 2024, 12:00PMNuclear News
Bellefonte nuclear power plant. (Photo: TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority this week discussed the potential for new nuclear technology at its sites during its second-quarter earnings call.

TVA and GE Hitachi signed an agreement in 2022 to develop and deploy a BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tenn.

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