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.
China joins water sample analysis at Japan nuclear plant for 1st time English.kyodonews.net
EU Approves State Aid To Extend Lifespan Of Two Belgian Nuclear Reactors nucnet.org
Court rules against suspension of nuclear units in southwestern Japan English.kyodonews.net
Grossi participates in collection of Fukushima water samples world-nuclear-news.org
Ambient office = 58 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 114 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 124 nanosieverts per hour
Green onion from Central Market = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 79 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 67 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 95 nanosieverts per hour
Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have achieved a significant milestone in laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) technology. They have created fast, bright proton beams by using the power of a simple steam of water. This breakthrough addresses some long-standing challenges and moves LPA technology closer to real-world applications.
Siegfried Glenzer is the director of the High Energy Density Science division at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. He said, “These exciting results pave the way for new applications of relativistic high-power lasers for applications in medicine, accelerator research, and inertial fusion.”
Traditional particle accelerators, such as synchrotrons, use electromagnets to generate these proton beams. However, the massive size of the magnets limits their use in many settings.
LPAs offer a compact and cost-effective alternative. However, they also face several challenges. The researchers explained that “One challenge arises from the high-intensity laser, which destroys the targets after each pulse, requiring a new target for every shot. Another issue is the beam divergence – proton beams produced by LPAs typically spread out like a floodlight rather than maintaining a narrow focus.”
The new breakthrough at SLAC aims to resolve these issues. This advance was made possible by replacing a solid target with a thin stream of water. The researchers commented that “Instead of using a traditional solid target, they introduced a thin sheet of water – a self-regenerating stream that replenishes after each shot.”
This self-regenerating water sheet not only eliminates the need to replace the target after each laser pulse but also unexpectedly enhances the proton beam’s characteristics. When the high-intensity laser struck the sheet of water, the resulting evaporated water formed into a vapor cloud that interacted with the proton beam. This interaction generated magnetic fields, which focused the proton beam. This result of this interaction resulted in a significantly brighter and more tightly aligned proton beam.
Compared to experiments utilizing solid targets, the water sheet reduced beam divergence by one order of magnitude and increased efficiency by two orders of magnitude. The resulting proton beam exhibited great stability as it operated consistently at five pulses per second for hundreds of laser shots.
Griffin Glenn is a Stanford University PhD student and the second author of the report on the experiment. He said, “This effect was completely unexpected. This work has shifted the whole paradigm.”
The proton beam delivered the equivalent of 40 Gray with each shot, which is a standard radiation dosage used in proton therapies. This is an result never before achieved with LPAs at this repetition rate. This was accomplished using a readily available low-energy laser system. The use of a common laser system marked a significant step towards practical applications.
Glenn added, “Finally, we are no longer totally reliant on simulations. We can now drive the physics from an experimental point of view, testing different laser intensities, target densities, and environmental pressures.”
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) had already achieved a significant milestone in laser-plasma acceleration. They successfully accelerated electrons to an energy of ten billion electronvolts within twelve inches.
IAEA chief calls for engagement with North Korea amid nuclear arsenal concerns nknews.org
Milestone for Wyoming uranium operation world-nuclear-news.org
NRC Proposes Deep Fee Cuts for Advanced Nuclear powermag.com
Merz considers extension of French, British nuclear umbrella to Germany euractiv.com
Ambient office = 95 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 113 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 104 nanosieverts per hour
English cucumber from Central Market = 105 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 84 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 73 nanosieverts per hour
Core Power of the U.K. has announced that it will develop a “U.S.-based” maritime civil nuclear program that will “bring floating nuclear power to market by the mid-2030s”. Core Power plans mass production of floating nuclear power plants.
Launched during Core Power’s New Nuclear for Maritime summit in Houston, Texas, on February 12th of this year, the Liberty program “will lay the foundation for the use of nuclear power in the civil maritime sector”. the company said, “It will encompass modular construction of advanced fission technology and create the regulatory and supply chain frameworks necessary to enable this technology to be rolled out worldwide.”
The first phase of the program will see the mass production of floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs). The expertise gained in rolling out FNPPs on a large scale will pave the way for the second phase of the program, which will involve developing nuclear propulsion for civil ships.
Core Power said FNPPs will be constructed in shipyards on a modular production line, using well-established shipbuilding processes and an already-skilled workforce. They will be manufactured as power barges that can be moored at ports and coastal locations. Larger-capacity generation units will be anchored further offshore. A fleet of FNPPs can be mass produced and towed to customer locations without the need for complex site preparations, it said. A central yard will carry out commissioning, maintenance, refueling, and waste management. The Liberty program will utilize advanced nuclear technologies, such as molten salt reactors.
Core Power said, “The Liberty program envisions opening the orderbook for FNPPs in 2028 and reaching full commercialization by the middle of the next decade.” The company will select a location in the USA to construct the initial manufacturing yard for FNPPs.”
The second phase of the program will focus on developing the supply chain and workforce that will be needed. The third phase will include the development of business operations models and the creation of the manufacturing base. Simultaneously, Core Power plans to aid the development of international safety and security standards by collaborating with the International Maritime Organization and the International Atomic Energy Authority to create a civil liability convention for nuclear-powered ships.
The program, Core Power said, will also encompass creating the robust regulatory framework that will be necessary to operate FNPPs and civil vessels with nuclear propulsion. It will also include the supply chains (such as fuel and highly trained personnel) that will allow advanced nuclear reactors to function.
Mikal Bøe is the CEO of Core Power. He said, “The Liberty program will unlock a floating power market worth two trillion six hundred thousand dollars, and shipyard construction of nuclear will deliver on time and on budget. Given that sixty-five percent of economic activity takes place on the coast, this will allow nuclear power to reach new markets.”
Bøe added that “Core Power’s Liberty program will deliver resilient energy security for heavy industry and ocean transport. In doing so, it will revolutionize the maritime sector and transform global trade.”
In October of last year, Core Power announced that it had signed an agreement with the Mitsubishi Research Institute to research market conditions for a maritime civil nuclear program in Japan.
Efforts continue to eliminate small fires in Chernobyl shelter’s roof world-nuclear-news.org
Nova Scotia bill proposes lifting uranium exploration ban world-nuclear-news.org
Western Australians support lifting uranium ban, poll finds world-nuclear-news.org
Bill providing grants for nuclear energy research clears Senate kentuckytoday.com
Ambient office = 110 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 131 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 116 nanosieverts per hour
Campari tomato from Central Market = 102 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 125 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 112 nanosieverts per hour
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in his State of the State Address on February 2, 2025, emphasized the importance of nuclear energy for Texas. He said, “It is time for Texas to lead the nuclear power renaissance in the United States.” This statement emphasizes the state’s commitment to advancing nuclear technology. It will position Texas as a leader in clean energy innovation. The 2024 Interim Report from the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs mentioned Natura’s technology as a potential solution to power the state water plan, further validating the significance of these deployments.
The Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs, chaired by Senator Charles Perry, stated in the 2024 Interim Report that Natura’s advanced nuclear technology offers a promising solution to the state’s water and energy challenges. By integrating desalination with energy production, the new molten salt technology can ensure a sustainable future for Texas.
During the press event at Texas A&M in February, Representative Cody Harris said that advanced nuclear deployments, such as Natura’s deployment at the RELLIS, will have a positive impact not only Texas, but the rest of the World as well.
The deployments of advanced nuclear reactors are expected to have a profound impact on local communities. By providing a stable and reliable source of clean energy, these projects will facilitate economic growth and job creation in the regions. The integration of Natura’s MSR-100 technology with desalination systems will also address water scarcity. This will ensure that local communities have access to purified water for agricultural and other uses. This dual benefit of energy and water security will improve the quality of life for residents and contribute to the overall sustainability of the regions.
The need for reliable and abundant energy is critical for attracting and supporting business growth in Texas. With the increase of data centers, fabrication, and manufacturing facilities, the demand for electricity in Texas is surging. Texas’ business-friendly environment, combined with Natura’s advanced nuclear technology, will allow the state to meet this growing demand. By providing a stable and clean source of energy, the deployment of Natura’s reactors will support the expansion of data centers and other energy-intensive industries. Driven by economic development, Texas’ status will be established as a leader in the 21st-century economy.
For more information about Natura Resources and its role in developing small modular reactor technology, please contact Andrew Harmon or visit Natura Resources.
Natura Resources LLC is a leading advanced reactor developer who is committed to answering the world’s increased demand for reliable energy, medical isotopes, and clean water by developing commercially deployable molten salt reactors. Natura’s small modular reactors are liquid-fueled and molten salt-cooled. This increases their efficiency and reduces waste. The Natura MSR-100 reactor being deployed at Abilene Christian University is the first liquid-fueled reactor design to receive a construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In less than five years, Natura has established itself as a leading company in the nuclear industry, fueled by a commitment to performance. Natura’s leadership team has a track record of revolutionizing the energy industry with innovative technology and tangible results. Natura is privately owned and has secured over seventy-eight million dollars in funding through its first three investment rounds.
Milestone for Wyoming uranium operation world-nuclear-news.org
Senate bill to create nuclear energy development grant program in Ky passes committee lpm.org
Amid ‘clear’ threat of nuclear war, Guterres tells Security Council multilateral off-ramp is essential news.un.org
Grossi participates in collection of Fukushima water samples world-nuclear-news.org
