Ambient office  = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 126 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 129 nanosieverts per hour

Beefsteak tomato from Central Market = 123 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 143 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 129 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 3 Parts 
       On a number of occasions, I have blogged about my fears that developing nations could be walking into a trap if they accepted offers of nuclear technology exporting nations such as Russia and China to build, fuel, operate, and dispose of spent fuel from nuclear power plants in those developing nations. The deals can look very attractive with the exporters offering big loans on generous terms and a complete package of services.
       China announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013. They are dedicating over a trillion dollars to projects in a swath of nations from China to Europe for the stated purpose of trade creation, economic development and renewable energy. However, concerns have grown over the possible military strategic benefits of the BRI which China has tried to soft-pedal.
       The Chinese government has created several websites associated with the BRI. It is interesting and a little odd that none of those websites make any mention of nuclear power plant (NPP) projects although China has plans to build over thirty nuclear power plants as part of the BRI. Many of the countries where the Chinese intend to build NPPs are not members of any non-proliferation treaties and they do not have regulatory frameworks for safeguarding nuclear plants and materials.
       Developing nations who are the target of the Chinese nuclear export business should be under no illusion that China is offering them these deals out of kindness. China has economic and geostrategic goals of its own that will be furthered by spreading around Chinese nuclear power reactors in developing nations whether or not they benefit the customers.
       The vision statement for the BRI says that one of the goals is to advance nuclear power cooperation and the Belt and Road Energy Cooperation website does mention some bilateral nuclear agreements. Many of the countries that are considered as prospects for Chinese nuclear exports are part of the BRI initiative. However, as mentioned above, three main websites for the BRI make no mention of NPPs.
      One of the reasons that China might not want to mention and publicize the NPPs is because many nuclear technologies are dual-use. This means that the same technology that can produce enriched uranium for nuclear fuel can also enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. Keeping NPPs out of the publicity for the BRI reduces public concern about possible proliferation of nuclear weapons in the BRI countries.
       A second reason for China to avoid publicizing BRI NPPs is the fact that China has been guilty of violating its obligations under the rules of the international Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) of which it is a member. It has provided nuclear materials to countries including Pakistan who are not members of the NSG and are not entitled to receive such materials under the rules of the NSG. Pakistan has not agreed to employ International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards or to slow down its nuclear weapons program. In spite of this, China is involved in six NPP projects in Pakistan.

Please read Part 2

Ambient office  = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 126 nanosieverts per hour

Orange bell pepper exposed to rain water = 129 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 123 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 143 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 129 nanosieverts per hour

       A muon is a subatomic particle that is similar to an electron but has two hundred times as much mass. It has an electrical charge of minus one and a spin of one half. It is categorized as a “lepton” which means that it does not have any substructure composed of simpler particles. Muons are unstable and only have a half life of about two millionths of a second. However, this is longer than the half life of many subatomic particles. When a muon decays, it produces an electron and two neutrinos. Because it is not affected as much by magnetic fields as an electron, it can penetrate much further into solid objects. Muons produced by cosmic rays can penetrate deep into the Earth. About 10,000 muons are hitting every square yard of the earth’s surface every minute.
       The National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is a UK government owned and operated nuclear services technology provider covering the whole of the nuclear fuel cycle. Almost ten years ago, researchers at the (NNL) and Glasgow University in Scotland discovered that muons interacted differently when they encountered uranium as opposed to other elements. Because of the greater density of the uranium, instead of passing right through, the muons are scattered.  Lynkeos, a commercial company, was formed to take advantage of this behavior by turning it into a commercial product for the nuclear industry. It has the potential to aid decommissioning, detection and storage of radioactive materials. This could save the nuclear industry millions of dollars.
      The muon detection technology, called the Muon Imaging System (MIS) is already in use at Sellafield. The owners of the Cumbrian reprocessing plant have invested over six million dollars in the research. Innovate UK also supplied about two million dollars. Additional funding was supplied by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The UK firm hopes to export the MIS to other countries across the globe to help with the cleanup of nuclear sites.
       The CEO of Lynkeos said “The Muon Imaging System can be used for a variety of purposes, whether that’s inspecting old/spent material used in nuclear production to see if it’s safe to store, for imaging the products of thermal treatment processes or inspecting historic waste without needing to chip away its concrete encasing.”
       “This form of detection is providing the nuclear industry with an inexpensive method for testing waste materials, to which there is currently no other technological option. This should help to significantly lower costs within the nuclear industry.”
       I have already blogged about the use of a muon detection system to search for the nuclear fuel in the reactor cores in the ruins of the reactors in Fukushima, Japan. The muon detectors did not show that the uranium fuel was still in its original position in the core of the reactor. This indicated that the fuel had melted down through the bottom of the containment vessel.

Ambient office  = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 126 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 129 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 123 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 143 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 129 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
       The CEO of the Nuclear Industry Association said, “This ambitious deal between industry and government will ensure nuclear plays a key role in providing the UK’s low-carbon energy supply for the future, maximizing opportunities in overseas markets, leveraging technology and innovation and increasing competitiveness.”
       The CEO of the Nuclear Advanced Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) said, “We will work with our industry and research partners to demonstrate the benefits of advanced techniques and technologies for manufacturers of all sizes. We will also play a leading role in the new national program to enhance the capabilities of the UK’s supply chain, expanding our established Fit for Nuclear program and building on the success of Civil Nuclear Sharing in Growth.”
       Assystem is an international engineering services consulting company based in Paris, France. This week it signed a memorandum of understanding with Nuclear AMRC. A representative for Assystem said that the two hundred and sixty-three million dollars committed by the U.K. government to nuclear power projects will help increase industrial competitiveness which will increase investor interest.
       URENCO uses leading centrifuge technology to provide uranium enrichment services to its customers. The CEO of URENCO said, “This support boosts the robustness of the UK’s fuel offering to international markets and helps to ensure that the country continues to act as a global leader in this sector. We, along with our consortium partners, are also delighted that our micro nuclear reactor, U-Battery, has received the green light to progress to Phase 1 of the government’s AMR Program. During Phase 1 we will produce a feasibility study, which will make the commercial and technical case for U-Battery.”
      Horizon Nuclear Power (HNP) is Hitachi’s U.K. subsidiary. It is currently developing two advanced boiling water reactors for the Wylfa Newydd site in Wales. The CEO of HNP said that the Sector Deal “clearly sets out the opportunities and the challenges for the industry, for example, building the skills base needed and the commitment to increase gender diversity. We look forward to playing our part.”
           The Heart of the South West (HotSW) LEP is a strong and dynamic business-led partnership between the private sector, local authorities, universities and colleges. The Chairman of LEP said, “We have sixty-six billion dollars worth of commercial opportunities to realize in this sector across the region; the partners have worked closely together to create this deal and stand ready to deliver.”  LEP believes that the government funding of the Sector Deal would increase job creation. It has started a business support service to help small and mid-sized businesses take advantage of supply chain opportunities generated by the EDF project to build two European Pressurized Reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, England.
     The engineering policy advisor at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said the new thermal hydraulics facility at Anglesey will improve the U.K.’s nuclear research and development capabilities. He went on to say that “Along with the likely construction of the Horizon nuclear power station at Wylfa and the potential for a small modular reactor at Trawsfynydd, North Wales could become a world-leading industrial cluster.” In making the announcement at the existing nuclear site at Trawsfynydd, the Secretary of State highlighted its suitability for hosting the UK’s first SMR.
      The GMB trade union says that its only job is to improve the pay conditions of the members of GMB in their workplaces. A GMB representative emphasized the jobs potential of small modular reactors. He said that SMRs should be designed and constructed in the U.K. and exported to other nations. The chairman of GMB said that the U.K. should have multiple government owned sites where licenses are granted to companies to design and build SMRs.