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 = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 92 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Mini cucumber from Central Market = 80 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 109 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 96 nanosieverts per hour
Russia plotted attacks on nuclear power plants and civilian infrastructure in Japan and South Korea in 2008-2014 – F Pravda.com.ua
Russia expands global dominance through new nuclear projects news.az
First Nation in Ontario challenging selection of underground nuclear waste site in court aptnews.ca
Argentina and El Salvador sign MoU on nuclear energy world-nuclear-news.org
Ambient office = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 86 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 90 nanosieverts per hour
Leek from Central Market = 80 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 102 nanosieverts per hour
Xcel Energy’s Monticello Nuclear Plant Receives Federal Approval to Extend Operationsbusinesswire.com
Constellation inks $1 billion deal to supply US government with nuclear power finance.yahoo.com
Iran to hold nuclear talks with France, UK, Germany on January 13: Report Aljazeera.com
350 MW nuclear-powered icebreaker vessel unveiled by Russia to rule frozen seas yahoo.com
Ambient office = 66 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 129 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 130 nanosieverts per hour
Green onion from Central Market = 108 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 143 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 136 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 89 nanosieverts per hour
A research team has just clarified the process behind the generation of runaway electrons during the startup phase of a tokamak fusion reactor. The paper is titled Binary Nature of Collisions Facilitates Runaway Electron Generation in Weakly Ionized Plasmas. It was published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Nuclear fusion energy refers to a power generation method that harnesses the energy of a process that attempts to replicate the fusion process that powers our sun and other stars, using resources extracted from seawater. To achieve this, technology capable of confining high-temperature plasma exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius under extreme pressure for extended periods in a fusion reactor is essential.
A tokamak is an artificial sun system in the shape of a torus, with no beginning or end, where magnetic fields are applied to confine particles.
To initiate nuclear fusion reactions within a tokamak, high-temperature plasma must first be generated, a process known as “startup.” The startup process requires a strong electric field, similar to the principle of lightning, but this electric field also leads to the generation of “runaway electrons.”
Runaway electrons are high-energy electrons that receive continuous acceleration from the electric field, becoming so fast that their acceleration is unstoppable. These electrons hinder plasma formation by taking it off externally applied energy and can damage the device, making them one of the critical challenges that must be resolved for successful nuclear fusion.
Therefore, accurately predicting the formation of runaway electrons is essential for the commercialization of tokamak reactors.
Runaway electron generation rate as a function of ionization degree. Credit: Seoul National University College of Engineering
Through collaborative research with the Max-Planck Institute for Plasmaphysik and ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) International Organization, Seoul National University’s Professor Yong-su Na (corresponding author) and Ph. D. student Lee (first author) discovered that existing theories fail to adequately explain this phenomenon.
They generalized a kinetic theory to identify a novel mechanism for the generation of runaway electrons, addressing a theoretical bottleneck in the design of start-up processes for ITER and commercial fusion reactors.
The research team found that the formation of runaway electrons during startup has a binary nature, determined by whether inelastic interactions with individual neutral particles occur. Electrons that avoid inelastic interactions with neutral particles significantly contribute to the formation of runaway electrons.
To elucidate this, they generalized the theory of electron kinetics and demonstrated the mechanism that classical theory failed to capture.
The results of this study are expected to be applied not only to the startup design of Korea’s demonstration and commercial reactors but also to ITER, a collaborative project involving South Korea, the European Union, the United States, Japan, Russia, China, and India.
Monticello nuclear plant gets federal approval to keep operating until 2050 mprnews.org
Scoop: Biden discussed plans to strike Iran nuclear sites if Tehran speeds toward bomb axois.com
Hualong One Nuclear Plant At Zhangzhou Begins Commercial Operation nucnet.org
Work starts on Taiwanese fuel storage facility world-nuclear-news.org
Ambient office = 59 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 123 nanosieverts per hour
Ginger root from Central Market = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 85 nanosieverts per hour
Newcleo is a nuclear reactor developer dedicated to designing and building innovative lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs) for sustainable energy solutions. It has submitted its Safety Option File for its fuel assembly testing facility to France’s nuclear safety regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN’s). The ASN’s official opinion on the submitted safety options will play a role in securing the application for authorization to construct such a facility.
Newcleo said, “This milestone marks the beginning of a new regulatory phase, during which the project’s key safety options will be reviewed, paving the way for an application for authorization to create a Basic Nuclear Installation (INB). This opinion will represent a new strategic milestone in Newcleo’s plans and timelines, initially focusing on an advanced fuel assembly testing facility to supply its first LFR.”
On the 26th June of this year, Newcleo finished the preparatory stage established by the French authorities for developers of small modular reactor (SMR) projects to facilitate, secure and accelerate the review of license applications. The company said that during the preparatory stage, ASN and its technical arm, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), reviewed the maturity of Newcleo’s project and discussed all safety options for its LFR projects and the associated nuclear fuel manufacturing plant.
Newcleo plans to directly invest in the construction of a mixed uranium/plutonium oxide (MOX) plant to fuel its reactors. In June of 2022, the company announced it had subcontracted France’s Orano for feasibility studies on the establishment of a MOX production plant.
Stefano Buono is the Newcleo founder and CEO. He commented on the submission of the Safety Option File for the fuel assembly testing facility, “This major milestone demonstrates the confidence placed by French nuclear authorities in our vision and technological choices. We are pursuing our discussions with the ASN, IRSN, and other relevant authorities to meet the most stringent requirements. Our advanced fuel assembly testing facility is designed to meet the growing demand for decarbonized energy, strengthen European energy sovereignty, and guarantee the highest standards of nuclear safety.”
Newcleo’s strategic roadmap includes the development of a demonstration reactor in Italy by 2026, the establishment of its fuel assembly testing facility in France by 2030, the construction of a reactor prototype in France by 2031, and the commissioning of commercial reactors starting in 2033.
Newcleo’s LFR is one of about ten SMR designs currently being evaluated by ASN and IRSN. Four vendors are now in the initial stage, referred to as prospective monitoring (Blue Capsule, Hexana, Out and Stellaria). Newcleo, Naarea, Calogena and Thorizon are now in step Two, the preparatory review. Nuward is in the third step, which is the pre-instruction stage where ASN will deliver an opinion on the main safety options to be used in its SMR design. Jimmy is in step 4, where it has requested a “creation authorization decree” from ASN to build an SMR intended to supply industrial heat to a Cristal Union Group plant which is located on the Bazancourt site.
Removal of high GWP refrigerant from US nuclear site continues coolingpost.com
USA, Lithuania to cooperate on SMRs world-nuclear-news.org
Updated Czech NECP: focus on nuclear and renewables world-nuclear-news.org
Russia warns the United States against possible nuclear testing under Trump reuters.com
