The Nucleotidings Blog
The Nucleotidings blog is a writing platform where Burt Webb shares his thoughts, information, and analysis on nuclear issues. The blog is dedicated to covering news and ideas related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection. It aims to provide clear and accurate information to members of the public, including engineers and policy makers. Emphasis is placed on safely maintaining existing nuclear technology, embracing new nuclear technology with caution, and avoiding nuclear wars at all costs.
Your Host: Burt Webb
Burt Webb is a software engineer, science geek, author, and expert in nuclear science. Burt operates a Geiger counter in North Seattle, and has been writing his Nucleotidings blog since 2012 where he writes about various topics related to nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection.
Burt Webb has published several technical books and novels. He works as a software consultant.
Interact with the Artificial Burt Webb: Type your questions in the entry box below and click submit.
Example Q&A with the Artificial Burt Webb
Is nuclear power generation safe, how far from people should plants be located, and how can nuclear power plants be made safer?
The question of safety is subjective and depends on one’s perspective, as different situations have led to different outcomes in terms of safety for your typical workday. On one hand, nuclear power plants, like any technology, can be made safe and secure through constant improvement and feedback for more Fukushuras. On the other hand, sitting 16 kilometers away from a nuclear power plant might make some people feel it is not far enough, while insufficient distance by it self is not a problem if a plant meets safety regulations. Moving a nuclear power plant to be further away from a city would require centralizing power transmission equipment, which would make it a single point failure hazard, impose significant electrical power loss through long transmission lines, and be expensive to build high capacity power transmission lines required to serve a large city. Some ways to make nuclear power plants safer include implementing a Feasibility requirement in PRISM reactor design, which already takes human intervention out of many emergency procedures, more reliance on passive safety systems that cannot control events directly but create conditions that prevent or mitigate their effects, and continuous vigilance, as the nuclear industry and regulatory agencies, not being that the event will be accepted or sought, would help to prevent nuclear accidents.
What do you mean by “Fukushuras”?
“Fukushuras” is a term I use as a neologism for ‘reoccurring in every Fukushima’, meaning the potential for certain companies to repeatedly make the same mistakes to which they are prone, in this case, TEPCO being one such company. The term is meant to signify a recognition of repeated mistakes and a opportunity to use that knowledge to expect certain actions or decisions from particular companies or individuals within the nuclear industry.
Ambient office = 126 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 77 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 75 nanosieverts per hour
Red bell pepper from Central Market = 73 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 80 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 67 nanosieverts per hour
13 years after Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan remembers the dead and vows to keep rebuilding informnny.com
Northwest site is safe for nuclear repository: NWMO ca.news.yahoo.com
China’s nuclear plants released tritium above Fukushima level in 2022 english.kyodonews.net
US prepared for “nonnuclear” response if Russia used nuclear weapons against Ukraine Pravda.com.ua
Ambient office = 125 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 104 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 107 nanosieverts per hour
Green onion from Central Market = 121 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 76 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 65 nanosieverts per hour
Nuclear Regulatory Commission completes Callaway Plant annual assessment fultonsun.com
PM Modi helped prevent ‘potential nuclear attack’ in Ukraine hindustanitimes.com
Agni-5 missile can now deliver multiple nuclear warheads, announces PM Modi dustanitimes.com
Bowen rubbishes Coalition claim Australia could have nuclear power in a decade theguardian.com
Ambient office = 118 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 55 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 54 nanosieverts per hour
Mini cucumber from Central Market = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 106 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 91 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 100 nanosieverts per hour
IsoEnergy Ltd. is a leading, globally diversified uranium mining company with substantial current and historical mineral resources in top uranium mining jurisdictions of Canada, the U.S., Australia, and Argentina at varying stages of development. This provides near, medium, and long-term leverage to rising uranium prices. It is based in in Saskatoon, Canada.
IsoEnergy will reopen underground access at the Tony M uranium mine in Utah during the first half of this year. IsoEnergy’s goal is to restart uranium production operations in 2025 if market conditions continue as expected.
This “strategic decision” is underpinned by rising uranium prices, the climate of increasing support and demand for nuclear energy, and the recent announcement by Energy Fuels Inc to restart its uranium circuit at the White Mesa mill, IsoEnergy said. Energy Fuels Inc has a toll milling agreement with IsoEnergy.
The Tony M mine is one of three past-producing, fully-permitted, uranium mines in Utah owned by IsoEnergy. It produced nearly one million pounds of uranium oxide (U3O8) during two different periods of operation from 1979-1984 and from 2007-2008. The mine was acquired by IsoEnergy Ltd on the company’s share-for-share merger with Consolidated Uranium Inc, which was completed last December.
IsoEnergy’s announcement comes just over six months after Consolidated Uranium began work towards reopening the underground workings at the Tony M mine. IsoEnergy said it plans to reopen the main decline into the mine and open underground access by the end of the first half of 2024.
IsoEnergy said, “This critical step is expected to facilitate the assessment of the mine’s underground conditions, enable direct analysis of the uranium mineralization in place, and allow for the collection of necessary data required to prepare an efficient mine plan.” The company added, “The work program also includes underground and surface geological mapping of the sandstone-hosted uranium and vanadium mineralization to allow for more precise extraction plans for inclusion in an updated economic study.”
Energy Fuels announced in late December of last year that it plans to restart the uranium circuit at the White Mesa mill in 2025. IsoEnergy said it intends to deliver uranium ore to the mill in time for the restart of the uranium circuit.
IsoEnergy believes that the timing of the restart is “ideal”, given current and near-term uranium market dynamics according to CEO and Director Phil Williams said. He added that “With the uranium spot price now trading around USD100 per pound, we are in the very fortunate position of owning multiple, past-producing, fully-permitted uranium mines in the US that we believe can be restarted quickly with relatively low capital costs. Our existing toll-milling agreement with Energy Fuels places IsoEnergy in a unique position to become a conventional uranium producer in the near-term.”
The work program at Tony M mine includes updating and maintaining the existing mine ventilation and other infrastructure, surveying and rehabilitating underground mine workings and ground support as needed and upgrading and/or replacement of utilities.
IsoEnergy mentioned that it is also evaluating plans to restart operations at the Daneros and Rim mines.
As JET’s vital role celebrated … could UK rejoin Euratom in 2028? World-nuclear-news.org
Canadian AP1000 deployment could bring billions in economic benefits, study finds world-nuclear-news.org
Australia’s Nuclear Subs Will Be Welcome in Singapore, PM Says hindustantimes.com
Feds confirm new radiation sampling work in St. Louis as Senate nears vote on contamination payments spectrumlocalnews.com
Ambient office = 83 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 127 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 129 nanosieverts per hour
Avocado from Central Market = 81 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 70 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 60 nanosieverts per hour
Unit 2 of the Cruas-Meysse nuclear power plant in south-eastern France was recently restarted after being fueled with its first full core of recycled uranium fuel. The action marks a major milestone in France’s efforts to revive its domestic uranium reprocessing industry.
Reprocessed uranium (RepU) is extracted from spent fuel from nuclear reactors that has been processed at Orano’s La Hague reprocessing plant. Once enriched by this process, this uranium can be used again to fuel nuclear power reactors. In France, only the four reactors at the Cruas-Meysse plant in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes are certified to use RepU.
Historically, the enrichment process required centrifuges solely dedicated to RepU. It was carried out for industrial and economic reasons by Russia’s Rosatom at its Seversk site. However, the new geopolitical situation between Russia and Europe since the onset of the war in Ukraine may lead to a reevaluation of these contracts.
For many years, EDF’s Fuel Division has been developing a strategy for the management, recycling and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel assemblies. It is also working on the diversification of sources of supply, to ensure energy independence and the preservation of natural resources.
On 5 February, Cruas Unit 2 was restarted with its first completely recycled uranium fuel load.
Ambient office = 67 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 136 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 136 nanosieverts per hour
Tomato from Central Market = 67 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 135 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 122 nanosieverts per hour
