An international team is constructing a revolutionary nuclear fusion reactor in Spain called SMall Aspect Ratio Tokamak (SMART) to address future energy demands. Academics are currently publishing a series of papers describing the cutting-edge technology that powers SMART.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is collaborating with the Spanish University of Seville on the design and development of a new fusion reactor design.
Jack Berkery is the principal investigator for the PPPL collaboration with SMART. He said that “The SMART project is a great example of us all working together to solve the challenges presented by fusion and teaching the next generation what we have already learned. We have to all do this together or it’s not going to happen.” Together with PPPL’s experience in magnetics and sensor systems, the SMART project benefits from PPPL computer codes.
Fusion reactors work on the same principle that powers the stars. They combine hydrogen and other light elements to produce helium and release enormous amounts of energy. In contrast to fission-based nuclear energy reactors currently in use, fusion offers the potential to produce huge amounts of energy with less waste and risk.
Previous attempts to produce fusion have resulted in more energy being used than produced. Reaching a net positive energy output has remained a challenging task. When a team from the U.S. managed to deliver seven tenths of a megajoules of energy in 2022, it was considered a tremendous feat.
Although fusion energy is still years away, the SMART project intends to move closer to that goal. SMART is a new spherical tokamak fusion reactor that explores negative versus positive triangularity prospects. SMART has a unique design that incorporates a tokamak cross-section and negative triangularity
Manuel Garcia-Munoz is a professor at the University of Seville. According to him, a negative triangularity could provide improved performance. He added that “It’s a potential game changer with attractive fusion performance and power handling for future compact fusion reactors. Negative triangularity has a lower level of fluctuations inside the plasma, but it also has a larger divertor area to distribute the heat exhaust.”
The novel structure increases performance by suppressing plasma instabilities, which may cause energy loss and possibly even damage to the walls of the nuclear reactor. Garcia-Munoz explained that “The idea was to put together technologies that were already established: a spherical tokamak and negative triangularity, making SMART the first of its kind. It turns out it was a fantastic idea.”
Researchers are currently investigating advanced diagnostic methods to track plasma conditions in the experiments. The tools created in collaboration with PPPL will evaluate the plasma’s stability and impurity. This will guarantee a more effective fusion process, noted the press release from Monday.
In the search for sustainable energy solutions, the SMART project offers the promise of revolutionizing energy generation. The project hopes to achieve first plasma by late 2024. And, as global cooperation continues, the goal of using fusion energy to supply huge amounts of power the grid is getting closer to reality.
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Nuclear Fusion 84 – University of Seville and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Working On New Tokamak Design
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Nuclear News Roundup Oct 22, 2024
North Korea Ready for Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Tests, Intel Suggests newsweek.com
Czech watchdog prohibits nuclear power contract signing amid appeals reuters.com
El Dabaa 2’s inner containment taking shape world-nuclear-news.org
Israel hit Iranian nuclear test sites, satellite reveals teklegraph.co.uk
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Geiger Readings for Oct 22, 2024
Ambient office = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 149 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 152 nanosieverts per hour
Avocado from Central Market = 73 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 92 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 77 nanosieverts per hour
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Nuclear Reactors 1438 – The European Commission Launched An Industrial Alliance Dedicated To Small Modular Reactors
The European Commission (EC) has selected nine small modular reactor (SMR) projects in the initial round of applications to form Project Working Groups under the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs.
The European Commission (EC) launched an Industrial Alliance dedicated to SMRs in February this year. They are aiming to facilitate the development of SMRs in Europe by the early 2030s. The Alliance utilizes working groups to improve the conditions for the development and deployment of SMRs, including rebuilding the supply chain for nuclear power. Their activities are intended to support specific SMR projects and accelerate their deployment on the European market.
The EC said the initial membership of the Alliance call elicited responses from more than three hundred stakeholders. They encompass SMR technology designers, utilities, energy-intensive users, supply chain companies, research institutes, financial institutions, and civil society organizations. The alliance members and its governing board were confirmed at the inaugural General Assembly in Brussels on 29-30 May.
In pursuit of tangible project outcomes, in June the Alliance put out a call for SMR projects wishing to be considered for the Alliance’s Project Working Groups (PWGs). Subsequently, the governing board, with the assistance of the Alliance secretariat, carried out a review and assessment of the 22 applications received.
The governing board held a second meeting on October 7th of this year. Following that meeting the first batch of SMR projects that would constitute the PWGs under the Alliance were selected. This batch included EU-SMR-LFR project (Ansaldo Nucleare, SCK-CEN, ENEA, RATEN); CityHeat project (Calogena, Steady Energy); Project Quantum (Last Energy); European LFR AS Project (Newcleo); Nuward (EDF); European BWRX-300 SMR (OSGE); Rolls-Royce SMR (Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd); NuScale VOYGR SMR (RoPower Nuclear SA); and Thorizon One project (Thorizon).
The EC said that “Each of these projects will have the opportunity to constitute a PWG involving all partners interested in collaboration with the project.”
Marc Schyns is the director of innovative nuclear systems at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN). Commenting on the selection of the EU-SMR-LFR project, he said, “Our project is getting a label – a vote of confidence from Europe. This will give a huge boost to the partners working on this; it only further strengthens our ambition to demonstrate the potential of lead-cooled, fast reactor technology.”
Project partner Ansaldo Nucleare added that “The development path, which has been awarded by the European Commission, includes the construction of two demonstration prototypes (LEANDREA and FALCON) designed to validate the technological choices, which will be built in Belgium and Romania, respectively.”
Stefano Buono is the Newcleo CEO. He said that the selection of the company’s LFR AS project was a “ringing endorsement” for its technology. “We look forward to collaborating with the new European Commission Commissioner and other industry stakeholders, who, like us, are members of the European Industrial Alliance of SMRs, to foster a supportive environment for the growth of new nuclear technologies.”
Ansaldo Nucleare noted that “The four future partners Ansaldo Nucleare, ENEA, RATEN and SCK-CEN have signed a collaboration agreement, together with Newcleo. This will launch discussions to see how we can work together and where the two consortiums can collaborate on LFR technology. By joining forces, we are enhancing our shared commitment to innovation and sustainability within the nuclear sector and can further promote the development of fast reactor technology in Europe.”
The EC said that most of the other projects that applied in the first assessment round and were not selected in the first batch of SMR projects will have the opportunity to submit a new application in the next round. The next round is expected to be organized in the second quarter of 2025. -
Nuclear News Roundup Oct 21, 2024
Western Wisconsin electric cooperative wants back in nuclear power business lacrossetribune.com
Japan’s Nuclear Power Revival Threatened by Lack of Workers energyconnects.com
Containment building completed at second Zhangzhou unit world-nuclear-news.org
Thick smoke as fire breaks out at UK nuclear sub shipyard bbc.com
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Geiger Readings for Oct 21, 2024
Ambient office = 99 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 91 nanosieverts per hour
Purple onion from Central Market = 129 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 85 nanosieverts per hour
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Nuclear News Roundup Oct 20, 2024
Framatome to supply Hungarian plant with nuclear fuel world-nuclear-news.org
Partners mark two years of Lu-177 production at Bruce 7 world-nuclear-news.org
ASP Isotopes Stock Surges on Uranium-Plant Agreement With TerraPower msn.com
Device Catches Nuclear Fuel Debris at TEPCO Fukushima Plant nippon.com
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Geiger Readings for Oct 20, 2024
Ambient office = 116 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 129 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 129 nanosieverts per hour
Green onion from Central Market = 70 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 75 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 63 nanosieverts per hour
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Nuclear News Roundup Oct 19, 2024
South Bruce votes in favor of hosting Canadian repository world-nuclear-news.org
First BWR restarts in Japan world-nuclear-news.org
ČEZ takes Rolls-Royce SMR stake, plans to deploy 3GW fleet world-nuclear-news.org
Thales gyrotron sets new record in plasma heating world-nuclear-news.org
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Geiger Readings for Oct 19, 2024
Ambient office = 112 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 96 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Green onion from Central Market = 80 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 121 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 110 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 108 nanosieverts per hour