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.
Taiwan reassesses nuclear options as global experts highlight new SMR pathways redessary.com
NTI Highlights Economic Fallout Risks at UN Nuclear Effects Panel nti.org
Putin Ally Issues Update on Deploying Nuclear Weapons in NATO Warning newsweek.com
Map of US nuclear targets were revealed on Russian state TV ladbible.com
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 79 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 86 nanosieverts per hour
Campari tomato from Central Market = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 97 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 87 nanosieverts per hour
IAEA and Algeria Sign a Joint Statement to Reinforce Cooperation on Nuclear Science and Energy iaea.org
State bill would give tax credits to new nuclear power plants in Wisconsin wpr.org
Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel meeting focuses on PFAS contamination wamc.org
EU approves Polish state aid for nuclear plant world-nuclear-news.org
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 90 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 119 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 119 nanosieverts per hour
Blueberry from Central Market = 115 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 89 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 76 nanosieverts per hour
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 111 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 92 nanosieverts per hour
Beefsteak tomato from Central Market = 108 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 113 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 90 nanosieverts per hour
French small modular reactor (SMR) developer Hexana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dutch cooperative Atoomcoöperatie to collaborate on the potential development of Hexana’s nuclear platform in the Netherlands.
Atoomcoöperatie describes itself as the world’s first citizen-driven energy cooperative for nuclear energy. This partnership will drive coordination and momentum for Hexana’s advanced modular reactor deployment in the Netherlands. The cooperative will cultivate stakeholder engagement, align regional and national interests, and support a favorable environment for regulatory, industrial, and financial cooperation.
Hexana intends to develop a SMR featuring a sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor, integrated with a high temperature storage device. Such a plant would comprise two of these reactors four hundred megawatts of thermal energy to supply a heat storage device. An adjoining heat transfer system will allow it to produce electricity on demand and in a flexible manner to compete with gas-fired power plants, but also to supply heat directly to nearby energy-intensive industries.
Hexana claims that its solution is capable of simultaneously producing low-carbon high-temperature heat (up to five hundred degrees Celsius) and electricity for energy-intensive industries such as chemicals, steel, hydrogen or e-fuels production, essential for their decarbonization program. Beyond industrial applications, the reactor’s thermal storage capability will act as a stabilizer for the power grid. It will compensate for the variability of renewable energy sources. The solution also provides reliable, stable and efficient electricity for data centers and high-demand digital infrastructure, supporting the Netherlands’ ambitions in this sector.
Sylvain Nizou is the CEO of Hexana. She said, “The Netherlands stands as a strategic hub for European industry, with historic clusters that anchor Europe’s economic strength. At Hexana, we aim to bring these industries a decarbonized and resilient energy solution that ensures predictability and energy security. We chose mature, proven sodium-cooled technology, with six reactors already successfully operated in Europe, because decarbonizing industry is urgent and requires mature, reliable solutions that can also enhance grid flexibility. Atoomcoöperatie’s expertise and deep understanding of the Dutch energy landscape will be instrumental in accelerating our deployment in the Netherlands.”
Olguita Oudendijk is the Chair of Atoomcoöperatie. She said, “This partnership reflects a shared belief that nuclear innovation must serve people, industry, and the planet. aligning communities, policymakers, and technology leaders, we can make advanced nuclear energy a cornerstone of a resilient, carbon-free Netherlands. Working with Hexana allows us to translate global reactor expertise into Dutch industrial strength and long-term energy security.”
Atoomcoöperatie says that it wants to co-invest in a new nuclear power plant or SMR, “so we can acquire a share of the ownership and have a voice in the process. We want to enable our members to supply nuclear power at cost. We want to stimulate the nuclear industry in the Netherlands. By collaborating with citizens, businesses, and government agencies, we’re joining forces. This way, we’re building a diverse, engaged energy community of members who contribute expertise, have a voice, and share in the benefits.”
In December 2021, the Netherlands’ new coalition government placed nuclear power at the center of its climate and energy policy. In addition to keeping the Borssele plant in operation for a longer period, the government also called for the construction of new reactors. Based on preliminary plans, two new reactors will be completed around 2035 and each will have a capacity of one thousand to – sixteen hundred and fifty megawatts. The government is also taking steps to prepare the Netherlands for the possible broad deployment of SMRs.
RoPower taps Studsvik for SMR core design neimagazine.com
Atomic Canyon inks AI deal with IAEA neimagazine.com
ComEd customers to receive $803M in credits in 2026. What that means for you nbcchicago.com
Linn County commission to review Duane Arnold nuclear rezoning application Dec. 15 condorbusiness.com
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 118 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 90 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 86 nanosieverts per hour
Avocado from Central Market = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 106 nanosieverts per hour
Pebbles of X-energy’s TRISO-X fuel have begun thirteen months of irradiation testing at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to evaluate fuel performance across operating scenarios and qualify them for commercial use.
TRISO-X is a specialized version of TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) nuclear fuel, fabricated into billiard ball-sized spheres also called pebbles that will be used to power high temperature gas-cooled reactors, such as X-energy’s Xe-100 small modular reactor (SMR). The TRISO particles from which the pebbles are created from uranium, carbon and oxygen fuel kernel encapsulated in three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials that prevent the release of radioactive fission products. This structure means that the fuel cannot melt in a commercial high-temperature reactor and can withstand extreme radiation and temperatures that are way beyond the threshold of the nuclear fuels that are in use today, according to the US Department of Energy (DoE).
The X-energy Pebble Reactor Test has been named XPeRT. The fuel will undergo irradiation testing in INL’s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), a pressurized water reactor which produces neutrons, rather than heat, to evaluate how TRISO-X fuel performs under various power levels, temperatures, and burnup conditions related to the Xe-100 SMR design. Post-irradiation examination at INL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will analyze the fuel’s fission product retention and structural stability under the full range of expected commercial operating conditions.
Dan Wachs is the National Technical Director for DoE’s Advanced Fuels Campaign. He said that the experimental cycle at ATR is “a huge one” for advanced nuclear. “The test marks INL’s first irradiations of TRISO fuel for advanced reactors since 2020 and the first use a new lead-out test capability at ATR that makes these advanced fuel tests possible.”
TRISO-X has operated a pilot nuclear fuel fabrication facility at ORNL since 2016. It is planning to construct two further facilities at ORNL to manufacture its proprietary fuel for commercial deployment of the Xe-100, which is one of two advanced reactor demonstration projects receiving support from the DoE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The first of those facilities, TX-1, is already being built. TRISO-X is also participating in the DoE’s Fuel Line Pilot Program, established earlier this year to support the develolpment a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain for testing new reactors.
Clay Sell is the CEO of X-energy. He said, “What began in Oak Ridge as a pioneering effort to advance TRISO manufacturing is now leading the way in qualifying the fuel that will power the next generation of reactors. TRISO-X embodies decades of US innovation in fuel design and this testing program brings us one step closer to redefining the standard for safety and reliability in nuclear energy.”
The first deployment of the Xe-100 is planned for the Dow’s Seadrift site on the Texas Gulf Coast. It will supply both power and high-temperature heat to industrial-scale operations. X-energy and Amazon have also agreed to the goal of more than five gigawatt of new nuclear by 2039, beginning with a joint plan with Washington state utility Energy Northwest to build up to twelve SMRs near Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station.
