Ambient office = 110 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 111 nanosieverts per hour

Tomato from Central Market = 109 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 81 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office = 116 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 104 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Red bell pepper from Central Market = 90 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office = 90 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 109 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Mini cucumber from Central Market = 143 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 99 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Dover Sole from Central = 1098 nanosieverts per hour

     The U.K., U.S. and Canadian nuclear regulators have revealed high-level principles for deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in the nuclear sector while maintaining adequate safety and security.
     The regulators say that “AI could benefit nuclear safety, security and safeguards in a variety of ways. These include the analysis of large volumes of data to better manage risks and improve efficiency and accomplishing tasks in hazardous areas to decrease the risk to workers and potentially reduce error. AI could also be dynamically retrained to benefit from new information and experience so it can rapidly improve moving forwards.”
     The UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) have just published a new trilateral paper. The title of the paper is Considerations for developing artificial intelligence systems in nuclear. It describes principles that all participants in the AI lifecycle should consider. These include developers, licensees and regulators. The paper marks the first time international regulators have collaborated to draft principles addressing AI in the nuclear sector.
     The paper covers a variety of topics. Common areas of focus for regulators when approaching AI are recommended. Understanding how to manage systems based on the consequences of AI failure and the level of AI autonomy is urged. The importance of human and organizational factors in the use of AI is emphasized. Integrating AI into existing nuclear systems is discussed. Managing the AI lifecycle from design to deployment is reviewed. Considerations for safety cases for AI in nuclear applications are mentioned.
    The paper continues that “The nuclear industry benefits from decades of operational experience, mature and rigorous design and operation protocols, and a strong safety and security culture. The rapid pace of recent AI development is somewhat antithetical to the slow and methodical change process that the nuclear industry traditionally follows. Nevertheless, the primary goal for the nuclear industry and regulators with respect to AI systems will be maintaining adequate safety and security while benefiting from their deployment.”
     Among its conclusions, the paper states that “The fast pace of AI development means it is unlikely that AI-specific consensus standards for the nuclear domain will be available to support regulatory activities within the near future. In the interim, existing nuclear-specific standards remain a starting point coupled with considering the unique attributes introduced by AI.”
     The regulators conclude that “While there are hurdles to consider to successfully deploy AI, there are also potentially significant benefits to using AI. If effectively managed, negative consequences could be avoided or mitigated for many applications. This document recognizes this position and describes features the Canadian, UK, and US nuclear regulators consider important in managing risks arising from the use of AI.”
     Shane Turner is the Technical Director of the ONR. He said that “This significant collaboration between CSNC, NRC and ONR will support the wider international nuclear community to understand what is important when considering the application of AI. ONR is open to innovation and is committed to enabling the safe and secure deployment of AI and other innovative technologies within the nuclear sector.”

Ambient office = 97 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 104 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Corn from Central Market = 129 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 85 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     The U.S. currently gets about twenty percent of its power from nuclear fission power reactors. Inside the U.S. Energy Department, there is high interest to increase that percentage in the coming years because nuclear energy is reliable and doesn’t produce as much climate pollution as fossil fuels.
     Goff added, “We need some firm, clean baseload electricity — nuclear provides that. In order to meet our energy security needs and our climate goals, we do need significantly more nuclear energy deployed.”
     The nuclear power industry is increasingly focused on SMRs, which run on HALEU. These reactors can last longer than conventional ones and fit into smaller spaces. This makes them more versatile and easier to set up.
     The uranium for conventional reactors is enriched up to five percent and HALEU is uranium enriched to between five and twenty percent. Highly enriched uranium is anything more than twenty percent. If enriched to over ninety percent, it is used in weapons.
     Josh Jarrell is director of the Idaho National Laboratories fuel cycle science and technology division. He said, “You can get more energy in smaller spaces,” You can be more energy dense, you can make more effective fuel, theoretically, we could generate electricity more economically.”
     Dan Leistikow is the vice president of corporate communications at U.S.-based uranium enrichment company Centrus Energy. He said that Centrus is one of two enrichment companies in the US working to break America of its dependence on Russia. Russia supplies the vast amount of the world’s enriched uranium for fueling reactors. The U.S. Congress recently passed an import ban on Russian uranium. This has resulted in a supply squeeze both for HALEU and fuel for conventional reactors.
    Leistikow told an interviewer that after a “lack of investment over decades,” Centrus intends to “restore a domestic enrichment capability with U.S. technology” to meet the demand for the country’s electricity and for its national security.
     The U.S. Energy Department estimates that the advanced nuclear industry will need forty tons of HALEU by 2030. Centrus is seeking funding from DOE to expand its operations. It can currently enrich a little less than one ton per year. The leftover U.S. nuclear arsenal will be able to contribute six tons of HALEU by 2027.
     TerraPower’s Navin said that six tons of HALEU is a “great start,” but far from enough for his company’s first core load, not to mention other advanced nuclear projects in the U.S.
     Exactly how much highly enriched uranium the U.S. has stockpiled is a classified secret. There are a lot of interests competing for HALEU, from national security to research reactors.
     Congress recently directed the U.S National Nuclear Security Administration and U.S. Energy Department to prioritize converting the old U.S nuclear arsenal into advanced reactor fuel.
     Navin said that “Within their possession, they have more than enough (highly enriched uranium) to make many, many, many tons of HALEU.” This recalls the old Biblical injunction to make swords into plowshares.