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.
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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.
War Between Russia and US Will Take ‘Nuclear Character’, Lavrov Warns newsweek.com
Iran dramatically accelerating uranium enrichment to near bomb grade, IAEA says reuters.com
TVA will hold emergency drill at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant next week timesfreepress.com
Framatome to share fast reactor experience with Japan world-nuclear-news.org
Ambient office = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 72 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 72 nanosieverts per hour
Avocado from Central Market = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 69 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 61 nanosieverts per hour
Hanford nuclear site guards losing insurance coverage as lockout of union continues tri-cityherald.com
Little Rock Nine members on hand for christening of nuclear submarine USS Arkansas nwaoline.com
Explosives speed Sizewell A turbine hall decommissioning world-nuclear-news.org
Beznau to operate beyond 60 years world-nuclear-news.org
Ambient office = 72 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 92 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 97 nanosieverts per hour
English cucumber from Central Market = 73 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 80 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 72 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient office = 74 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 94 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 91 nanosieverts per hour
Yellow bell pepper from Central Market = 59 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 64 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 56 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 103 nanosieverts per hour
The increase in nuclear fusion innovation has continued for another year, according to the latest patent data reported by Appleyard Lees. However, nuclear power is a tale of two technologies with fission showing the lowest number of patent filings for more than sixty years.
The fourth annual edition of the Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report from the leading intellectual property firm shows that the one hundred and sixty seven nuclear fusion patent filings in 2022 exceeded the one hundred and sixty five filings in 2021. The latter being an almost fifty percent increase on the previous high.
Total funding in the nuclear fusion sector, according to the Fusion Industry Association, has reached more than seven billion dollars, with at least nine hundred million dollars in the past year.
Adam Tindall is an Appleyard Lee Partner. He said, “It is too early to say whether this is now the new ‘steady state’ level for fusion patents, or the early stages of a sustained boom that will lead to real-world, widespread commercial application of a mature technology.”
Recent patent applications in nuclear fusion have focused on less well-researched approaches to fusion, such as plasma generation including particle beam techniques and electrical discharge technologies.
However, the focus on developing new magnet technologies continues. U.K. company Tokamak Energy is investing in a new business division for its magnet technology and continuing to be a top patent filer in the sector. Other top innovators for fusion technology now include the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority.
With regard to territory, the growth of nuclear fusion technology start-up companies in the U.S. is now driving the increase in patent filings more than the previous acceleration led by Asian countries. There are a variety of smaller companies in the U.S. working on fusion research with no single organization dominating current fusion innovation.
Matthew Bennett is an Associate at Appleyard Lees. He said, “As the sector matures, there will likely be consolidation around dominant organizations, with the winners of the innovation race benefiting from strong positions in the market, or at least from a healthy exit. The fusion sector is expanding rapidly and, even though the investment pot is generous, it will quickly be swallowed up by US companies which can show investors they have the necessary IP protections in place for commercializing their technology.”
Patent filings for nuclear fission technology have reached a ten-year low. More than sixty percent fewer than in 2013 and the least recorded since 1963.
Asian countries remain top patent filers in the technology, driven mainly by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. and Hitachi GE Nuclear Energy. They are focusing on safety-related applications in emergency cooling, monitoring and testing and pressure suppression systems.
The Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report – Fourth Edition’s focus on nuclear energy was selected because of its prominence in the global green innovation conversation. This involvement is referenced in the OECD’s and United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Green Innovation Database, a global innovation catalogue that connects needs for solving environmental or climate change problems with sustainable solutions.
Serbia plans for future with nuclear energy world-nuclear-news.org
Map Shows Safest US States to Live During Nuclear War armscontrolcenter.org
Putin’s nuclear threats aim to scare the west – but Ukraine’s allies are now calling his bluff theconversation.com
IAEA Building “Strong Cooperation” with Uzbekistan in Nuclear Energy and Health iaea.org
Ambient office = 70 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Pointed bell pepper from Central Market = 59 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 69 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 59 nanosieverts per hour
There is increasing demand for sustainable electricity across the world and scientists are focusing on the development of very small nuclear reactors. These are called microreactors (MR). To make these reactors safer, researchers have turned to a new technology powered by AI that can detect potential hazards in these reactors in seconds.
This technology is referred to as smart component systems and it can provide remote surveillance of MR. Developed by researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea, the system includes embedded optical fiber sensors to monitor components in the reactor and send alerts during abnormal conditions.
The UNIST breakthrough involves a novel technology that combines 3D printing with AI, allowing the rapid processing of multiple continuous variables from optical fiber sensors. The team successfully manufactured smart nuclear parts using a Directed Energy Deposition (DED) printing method. They seamlessly integrated fiber optic sensors within the metal components.
MR designs vary, but most of them would be able to produce one to twenty megawatts of thermal energy that could be used directly as heat or converted to electric power. They can be used to generate clean and reliable electricity for commercial use. They could also be used for non-electric applications such as district heating, water desalination and hydrogen fuel production. These MRs are compact enough to be transported by truck and could help solve energy challenges in a number of areas.
Most MR designs will require nuclear fuel with a higher concentration of uranium-235 than is currently used in today’s full-sized reactors. However, some MRs may benefit from the use of high temperature moderating materials that would reduce fuel enrichment requirements while maintaining the small system size.
The recent study proposes a novel DED approach to incorporate an optical fiber sensor into MR components, enabling real-time monitoring with artificial intelligence.
Researchers conducting the study said, “The embedded optical fiber generates real-time data that allows for AI-driven in-vivo thermal deformation analysis. Our smart MR component can detect structural anomalies, identify abnormal operations, and assess operational conditions through augmented reality interfaces and AI technology.”
Im Doo Jung is a Professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, UNIST. He stated that researchers tackled the challenges associated with traditional inspection methods through AI convergence technology. This can greatly enhance the stable and efficient operation of next-generation small nuclear power plants.
Jung continued, “This convergence technology could extend its applications beyond nuclear power, potentially benefiting diverse industries such as autonomous manufacturing systems, aerospace, and advanced defense. We introduced a novel method for producing smart micro reactor components by embedding optical fiber sensors during the DED process. This method includes an optimized DED process for metal components of MR systems.”
Researchers emphasized that the proposed process, involving sensor embedding within metal components, could be applied to create smart metal components with various sensors with the DED process.
This research will also allow expanded applications in a variety of industries and research fields which require digitalization and AI within additively manufactured component.
