Nuclear Energy Production Research Articles

Property rights arrangement and stakeholder networks hindering floating photovoltaics: A case of private open-access ponds in Taiwan

The floating photovoltaic (FPV) system is being promoted in Taiwan to help transition towards zero nuclear energy production. One plan involved installation on 300 artificial irrigation reservoirs in Taoyuan. It was stalled several times and eventually stopped. Through semi-structured group interviews, observation, transcribed audio-taped meetings, and document analysis, a stakeholder network was constructed to understand the institutional arrangement and find the root causes of the problem. The study investigated the network of resource users and managers including solar power companies, central energy provider, pond owners, informal users, environmental groups and government agencies. Apart from inadequate stakeholder participation, it was found that the problem was exacerbated by the private open-access arrangement and the complex governance structure, which made property rights unclear. These considerations highlight the importance of transaction costs associated with social dynamics and multilevel governance, which must be considered in feasibility studies. This paper also argues that initiatives viewed as a failure can nevertheless pave the way for future renewable energy projects by legally clarifying property rights and offering test sites for an objective FPV cost-benefit assessment, which can inform analytic-deliberative discourse for exploring potential compromise solutions. The lessons here can inform similar projects abroad, especially in land-scarce water-rich territories.

Highly adherent Ti3C2Tx nanosheet-loaded amidoxime polyacrylonitrile composite membrane for uranium extraction

Uranium is the main element of nuclear energy production, so the current global energy scarcity can be solved by uranium enrichment. The total amount of uranium in the ocean is huge, but how to extract uranium from the ocean efficiently and conveniently has become a hot issue nowadays. Polydopamine (PDA) from the self-polymerization of the mussel substance dopamine (DA) improved the adhesion of Ti3C2Tx (MXene) nanosheets to amidoxime polyacrylonitrile (PAO) support membrane to form amidoxime polyacrylonitrile composite membrane loaded with MXene nanosheets for uranium capture (PDA@M/PAO). The obtained maximum uranium adsorption capacity of PDA@M/PAO composite membrane can reach up to 14.85 g/m2 (499.9 mg/g), which was significantly higher than that of single PAO membrane. Kinetic fitting indicated that the adsorption was chemical adsorption, and isothermal model indicated that the adsorption was consistent with Langmuir adsorption, which was monolayer adsorption. After eight adsorption–desorption cycles, the adsorbent still retained 83 % of the elution rate, indicating that the adsorbent had great stability and recyclability. Due to its high adsorption capacity and excellent cycling stability, PDA@M/PAO composite membrane will provide a new strategy for uranium enrichment.

Fast uncertainty quantification of spent nuclear fuel with neural networks

The accurate calculation and uncertainty quantification of the characteristics of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) play a crucial role in ensuring the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of nuclear energy production, waste management, and nuclear safeguards. State of the art physics-based models, while reliable, are computationally intensive and time-consuming. This paper presents a surrogate modeling approach using neural networks (NN) to predict a number of SNF characteristics with reduced computational costs compared to physics-based models. An NN is trained using data generated from CASMO5 lattice calculations. The trained NN accurately predicts decay heat and nuclide concentrations of SNF, as a function of key input parameters, such as enrichment, burnup, cooling time between cycles, mean boron concentration and fuel temperature. The model is validated against physics-based decay heat simulations and measurements of different uranium oxide fuel assemblies from two different pressurized water reactors. In addition, the NN is used to perform sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification. The results are in very good alignment to CASMO5, while the computational costs (taking into account the costs of generating training samples) are reduced by a factor of 10 or more. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of using NNs as surrogate models for fast characterization of SNF, providing a promising avenue for improving computational efficiency in assessing nuclear fuel behavior and associated risks.

New Waste Management Options Created by iMAGINE through Direct Operation on Spent Nuclear Fuel Feed

The demand for improving the nuclear waste management has since long been identified as one of the major hurdles for widespread use of nuclear energy. Nuclear waste management, through partitioning and transmutation (P&T), has been researched since the 1990s with partitioning being a prerequisite for the process. Recently, an innovative approach of reactors directly operating on spent, or nowadays often called used nuclear fuel, iMAGINE has been proposed which could deliver on the aims of P&T as a side effect to more efficient and sustainable nuclear energy production in the future. A HELIOS model of the core has been used to analyze the long-term operation of a molten salt reactor including the investigation of the minor actinide accumulation over the entire burnup period. The results shown here confirm that long-term reactor operation is possible, even with higher amounts of vitrified waste loaded. Thus, it is possible to achieve the aims of P&T without prior partitioning, but it is certainly less efficient since the high concentration of minor actinides (MAs), required for efficient burning, is impossible to obtain in a short operational time. On this basis, the proposed nuclear waste management approach will be a long-term effort when it is accomplished without partitioning/separation technologies. However, none of the analyses contradicts this effort. The key points are: (a) when the technology for treating the waste is possible and reliable, the time horizon will not be a major concern; (b) the waste management is now intrinsically linked with energy production instead of requiring dedicated costly facilities, delivering a promising economic basis; (c) the waste management is now associated with long-term energy production and massively improved resource utilization. The study of feedback effects has shown that the modeled system has a strong negative feedback effect of ~−6 pcm/K, and even with spent nuclear fuel feed reduces to ~−3.8 pcm/K, ensuring the basis for a safe operation. In summary, it has been demonstrated that the objectives of P&T are achievable without prior partitioning, an approach which was never even discussed in the past. These ground-breaking results and the new insights will allow or even require rethinking the nuclear waste management of the future.

Farklı Enerji Kaynaklarının Çevresel Açıdan İktisadi Büyüme İle Olan İlişkisi

The concepts of environment and environmental sensitivity, which started to make themselves felt after the second half of the twentieth century, have had a significant impact on almost every discipline, especially since the beginning of the twenty-first century. With the increase in industrialization, the negative impact of both industrial facilities and final industrial products on the environment has opened the concepts of economics and economic development to discussion in this context. The transition from fossil energy sources to nuclear energy and the use of renewable energy sources in production, carbon emissions and economic growth have become a multidisciplinary field of study, which are closely related to each other. In this study, in which data from the period between 1982 and 2020 are used, the long-term relationship between the amount of carbon emissions, per capita gross domestic product, nuclear energy and renewable energy was subjected to panel cointegration test and a long-term significant relationship between carbon emission and economic growth was examined. a relationship has been identified. On the other hand, no significant relationship was found between nuclear and renewable energy production and carbon emissions.

The Feasibility & Challenges of Converting Retiring Coal Plants into Nuclear Plants

Expanding nuclear energy production is key to attaining zero-carbon emissions in the United States and 80% of retired and operating coal plants are a good fit for a coal-to-nuclear (“C2N”) transition. The biggest challenge is that modular nuclear reactor technology is not fully developed and ready for commercial deployment. However, it’s possible that C2N projects will be under way before 2030 despite technological, cost, financing, and permitting barriers because the DOE and the federal government support these projects with substantial credits and subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act. Ultimately, C2N projects are a good option to combat climate change.

Clustering fusion algorithm for selection of historical beam steady-state transmission data in CAFe facility

Accelerator-driven systems (ADS) are promising technologies for nuclear waste transmutation and energy production. The China ADS Front-end Superconducting Demo Linac (CAFe) is a prototype of the China Initiative Accelerator Driven System (CiADS), which aims to verify the feasibility of key technologies of CiADS. In this article, a novel method for historical data screening of the beam transport in the medium energy beam transport (MEBT) section of CAFe is presented. A clustering fusion algorithm based on unsupervised learning and beam transmission characteristics is designed to extract a large number of samples with the beam in steady-state transmission from historical beam data. A deep neural network model was constructed to fit the beam transport characteristics and verify the reliability of the screened data samples. The method can improve the efficiency and accuracy of data analysis and provide valuable insights for the optimization and control of beam transport in CAFe.

Recent Advances in Antibiofouling Materials for Seawater-Uranium Extraction: A Review.

Nuclear power has experienced rapid development as a green energy source due to the increasing global demand for energy. Uranium, as the primary fuel for nuclear reactions, plays a crucial role in nuclear energy production, and seawater-uranium extraction has gained significant attention. However, the extraction of uranium is usually susceptible to contamination by microorganisms, such as bacteria, which can negatively affect the adsorption performance of uranium adsorption materials. Therefore, an important challenge lies in the development of new antibacterial and antiadhesion materials to inhibit the attachment of marine microorganisms. These advancements aim to reduce the impact on the adsorption capability of the adsorbent materials. This paper reviews the antibiofouling materials used for extracting seawater uranium, and corresponding mechanisms are discussed.

ELSMOR – towards European Licensing of Small Modular Reactors: Methodology recommendations for light-water small modular reactors safety assessment

Decarbonization of energy production is key in today’s societies and nuclear energy holds an essential place in this prospect. Besides heavy-duty electricity production, other industrial and communal needs could be served by integrating novel nuclear energy production systems, among which are low-power nuclear devices, like small modular reactors (SMRs). The ELSMOR (towards European Licensing of Small Modular Reactors) European project addresses this topic as an answer to the Horizon 2020 Euratom NFRP-2018-3 call. The consortium includes 15 partners from eight European countries, involving research institutes, major European nuclear companies and technical support organizations. The 3.5-year project, launched in September 2019, investigates selected safety features of light-water (LW) SMRs with focus on licensing aspects. Providing a comprehensive compliance framework that regulators can adopt and operate, the licensing process of such SMRs could be optimized, helping their deployment. In this prospect, as a result of ELSMOR’s work, this article gives an overview of the specific issues that LW-SMRs may bring about in the different domains of nuclear safety, in terms of: Methodological standpoints: safety goals, safety requirements, safety principles (defence-in-depth implementation);Main safety functions of reactivity control, decay heat removal and confinement management;Severe accident management;Other safety issues particular to SMRs: use of shared systems; performing of multi-unit probabilistic safety assessment (PSA); refuelling, spent fuel management, transport and disposal management. In this article, adequate methodologies are developed to deal with these issues and to help assess the safety of LW-SMRs. This work gives a precious synthesis of the safety assessment issues of LW-SMRs and of the associated methodologies developed in the context of the ELSMOR European project.

NUCLEAR ENERGY AS AN EFFECTIVE FACTOR AN INCREASING EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY HYDROGEN PRODUCTION PROCESSES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY (REVIEW)

A complex of chemical-technological, energy, and techno-economic issues of the problem of hydrogen production using cost-effective technologies is considered, in particular, motivational and applied aspects of algorithmic transformation in the chain of interconnected energy factors-components of the problem: hydrogen and hydrogen energy → nuclear energy and hydrogen production → nuclear-hydrogen energy → hydrogen economy, in particular H2 transfer, safety technology, methods and technologies of H2 use. The motivating reasons, regularities and results of such a transformation, the concepts of its stages, the conceptual and categorical apparatus of the entire chain of transformations are outlined. The defining features of atomic energy are outlined from the point of view of its role and significance for H2 production processes. The classification of energy-intensive technologies in the context of the types of energy factors consumed by them, generated by nuclear power plants, is given. The chemical and technological bases of many energy-consuming processes of obtaining hydrogen, the profitability of which is ensured only under the conditions of the use of certain cheap energy factors of nuclear power plants, both individually and in combination, are considered: a) Industrial (currently operating), practically unprofitable for traditional energy sources, H2 production processes, in particular thermochemical ones using the transient thermal energy of nuclear power plants; electrolysis of water using heat and electricity; b) Innovative methods of obtaining hydrogen, the technologies of which are still being developed, namely: three methods of electrolysis of water using electrical and thermal energy; several methods based on the so-called thermochemical cycles, in particular plasma-chemical, sulfonic acid, etc., using cheap thermal energy from nuclear power plants; methods of water radiolysis using hard irradiation (g- or neutron type) and others. Attention is also paid to the important processes of obtaining compounds of hydrogen with intermetallics (and some metals) as means of accumulating H2 and technologies for its transfer to consumers. The applied value of the methods of industrial use of hydrides, in particular in the field of motor vehicles, is indicated; a schematic diagram of such use is given. In addition, the scheme of using the transient thermal energy of the nuclear reactor of the nuclear power plant for heating the CH4 conversion reactor with water vapor with the production of H2 is presented, and with the stage of effective utilization of the heat accumulated by the converted gas for heating raw materials by the method of their opposite flows. In addition, a scheme is presented for using the associated thermal energy of the AES nuclear reactor in industrial processes for the production of H2 by the conversion of traditional feedstock, moreover, with effective upwind utilization of the converted gas with heating of the feedstock. Bibl. 25, Fig. 2, Tab. 4.

Exploring Nuclear Energy and Environment Interaction in Pakistan Using the Fourier ARDL

This research examines the relationship between nuclear energy and environmental quality in Pakistan from 1971-2020 with the help of Fourier ARDL. In 2020, the use of fossil fuels, CO2 emissions, and the population had increased by 203.02%, 211.61%, and 101.18%, respectively, compared to 1990. This rise in contamination has caused a strain on the air quality in the country. To mitigate this, the use of nuclear energy increased from 0.18% in 1990 to 2.34% in 2020. The findings suggest that nuclear energy could be an effective policy for Pakistan if they want to improve its environmental quality. Additionally, it is projected that the detrimental externalities linked to pollution can be minimized in a year. Furthermore, with a 318% rise in energy imports in 2020 compared to 1990, it is vital for Pakistan to responsibly raise its utilization of nuclear energy to lessen its dependence on foreign energy sources and promote environmental quality. The economic repercussions of nuclear energy use in Pakistan are controversial; some studies suggest this increased usage might be impeding economic growth, while other studies suggest the opposite. This analysis seeks to examine the link between nuclear energy production and environmental damage using an appropriate method and scope.

Searching for the viability of using thorium-based accident-tolerant fuel for VVER-1200

This study explores the feasibility of employing (U, Th)-based accident tolerant fuels (ATFs), specifically (0.8UO2, 0.2ThO2), (0.8UN, 0.2ThN), and (0.8UC, 0.2ThC). The investigation assesses the overall performance of these proposed fuel materials in comparison to the conventional UO2, focusing on deep neutronic and thermal-hydraulic (Th) analyses. Neutronic analysis utilized the MCNPX code, while COMSOL Multiphysics was employed for thermal-hydraulic analysis. The primary objective of this research is to overcome the limitations associated with traditional UO2 fuel by exploring alternative fuel materials that offer advantages in terms of abundance and potential improvements in performance and safety. Given the limited abundance of UO2, long-term sustainable nuclear energy production faces challenges. From a neutronic standpoint, the U–Th based fuels demonstrated remarkable fuel cycle lengths, except (0.8UN, 0.2ThN), which exhibited the minimum fuel cycle length and, consequently, the lowest fuel burn-up. Regarding thermal-hydraulic performance, (0.8UN, 0.2ThN) exhibited outstanding performance with significant margins against fuel melting compared to the other materials. Overall, when considering the integrated performance, the most favourable results were obtained with the use of the (0.8UC, 0.2ThC) fuel configurations. This study contributes valuable insights into the potential benefits of (U, Th)-based ATFs as a promising avenue for enhanced nuclear fuel performance.

Effective removal of uranium (VI) using magnetic acid functionalized Fe3O4@TiO2 nanocomposite from aqueous solutions

The recovery and extraction of uranium is vital to ensure sustainability of nuclear energy production and safety of environment. Herein, we report a facile method to synthesise diglycolamic-acid-functionalized iron oxide@titanium dioxide magnetic nanocomposite (Fe3O4 @TiO2-DGA) as an efficient adsorbent for effective removal of uranium (VI) from aqueous medium. Fe3O4 @TiO2-DGA showed high uranium adsorption performance, with a sorption capacity of 371.8 mg g–1 at pH 6.0 and reached equilibrium within 40 min. The adsorption isotherm fits well with Langmuir and the kinetics follows pseudo-second-order model, respectively. The plausible mechanism of U(VI) adsorption involves the electrostatic interaction between the diglycolamic acid and hydrolysed uranium species. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. The U(VI)-loaded Fe3O4 @TiO2-DGA could be conveniently separated from aqueous solutions using an external magnet, and further U(VI) is desorbed by adding dil. HCl. Fe3O4 @TiO2-DGA showed exceptional selectivity for U(VI) in presence of various coexisting metal ions and it can be effectively reused for more than 5 times with negligible change in sorption capacity. Thus, Fe3O4 @TiO2-DGA can be considered as an effective and potential sorbent for U(VI) remediation from aqueous solutions.

Stellarator–mirror fusion–fission hybrid – a fast route to clean and safe nuclear energy

The multiple-recycle fuel cycle for uranium-238 considered here, if practically realized, can bring revolutionary changes in nuclear energy. A full use of uranium-238 implies a practically infinite resource for power generation. Besides the energy, the fuel cycle net output is only fission products, which are co-products rather than waste. For the same amount of energy produced, the amount of fission products is two orders of magnitude less compared with the amount of spent nuclear fuel generated in currently exploited nuclear energy production scenarios. Using the simplest isotope balance model, key features of the multiple-recycle fuel cycle for uranium-238 are investigated. The repetition of this cycle results in smooth transformation of the initial fuel to ‘stationary’ fuel without strong variations in the fractional isotope content. Deficit of delayed neutrons is a threat of the fuel cycle considered as well as other fuel cycles that use plutonium. It has a dramatic impact on reactor controllability and safety. A solution to this threat could be a subcritical nuclear reactor with an external neutron source. In this paper, use of a stellarator–mirror (SM) fusion–fission hybrid for the multiple-recycle fuel cycle for uranium-238 is analysed. A summary of the experimental and theoretical studies on the SM hybrid is given. Preliminary results for principal design of a SM hybrid nuclear reactor for the multiple-recycle fuel cycle for uranium-238 are presented.

Impact of central mixing scheme and nuclear reaction network on the extent of convective cores

Convective cores are the hydrogen reservoirs of main sequence stars that are more massive than around 1.2 solar masses. The characteristics of the cores have a strong impact on the evolution and structure of the star. However, such results rely on stellar evolution codes, in which simplistic assumptions are often made on the physics in the core. Indeed, mixing is commonly considered to be instantaneous and the most basic nuclear networks assume beryllium at its equilibrium abundance. Those assumptions lead to significant differences in the central composition of the elements for which the timescale to reach nuclear equilibrium is lower than the convective timescale. In this work, we show that those discrepancies impact the nuclear energy production and, therefore, the size of convective cores in models computed with overshoot. We find that cores computed with instantaneous mixing are up to 30% bigger than those computed with diffusive mixing. Similar differences are found when using basic nuclear networks. Additionally, we observed an extension of the duration of the main sequence due to those core size differences. We then investigated the impact of those structural differences on the seismic modeling of solar-like oscillators. Modeling two stars observed by Kepler, we find that the overshoot parameter of the best models computed with a basic nuclear network is significantly lower, compared to models computed with a full nuclear network. This work is a necessary step in improving the modeling of convective cores, which is key to determining accurate ages in the framework of future space missions such as Plato.

Estimation of proton-boron reaction cross-sections by neural networks

The proton-boron fusion reaction is one of the interesting reactions in nuclear energy production. The fact that neutrons and radioactive products do not come out as a result of the reaction makes these reactions special. However, the realization of this reaction is very difficult due to the low reactivity of the plasma and high radiation losses at temperatures achievable in today's fusion devices. Therefore, it is important to determine the cross-sections of these reactions. In our study, we obtained the cross-sections of proton-boron fusion reactions using the machine learning methods after performing machine learning with the limited data available in the literature.

A Chinese–French Study on Nuclear Energy and the Environment

This article focuses on the environmental impact of nuclear energy and addresses the following major environmental issues associated with nuclear power generation: ① controlling the radioactive discharge from nuclear installations under normal operation and evaluating their non-radioactive environmental impact (water withdrawals and non-radioactive discharges); ② long-term management of spent fuel and radioactive waste (radwaste), notably that disposed off in geological repositories; ③ prevention and mitigation of severe nuclear accidents and their radioactive releases and; ④ improving nuclear safety to restrict its environmental impact and to contribute toward the public acceptance of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy, with its very low emissions of green-house gases, has a unique capacity to generate massive and on-demand dispatchable amounts of electricity. The annual effective radiation dose delivered to the public surrounding nuclear power plants under normal operation is negligible. Considerable efforts have been made to define sustainable management of high-level long-lived radwaste that is disposed in geological formations. The return of experience from severe nuclear accidents in the past has informed and propelled major improvements in several aspects of nuclear energy production—including reactor design and operational management as well as in the development of accident-management guidelines—and has proved to be highly valuable. The environmental risks in the event of a severe accident have been substantially reduced and protocols have been established to minimize the release of radioactive materials and avoid the large-scale evacuation of people in the event of a severe nuclear accident. Efforts must be continued to improve reactor safety and enhance the transparency of the industry and the authorities that support and control nuclear power to further reduce the environmental impact.

AI-Driven approach for enhancing nuclear reactor safety predictive anomaly detection and risk assessment

Nuclear power plays a vital role in meeting global energy demands, but ensuring the safety of nuclear reactors remains a paramount challenge. In recent years, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has opened new avenues to significantly enhance nuclear reactor safety through predictive anomaly detection and risk assessment. This research proposes an innovative AI-driven approach that integrates machine learning techniques and data analytics to monitor, detect, and assess potential anomalies in nuclear reactors. The research begins with a comprehensive literature review on nuclear reactor safety and the application of AI in various industrial domains, emphasizing predictive maintenance and anomaly detection. It highlights the need for an AI-driven approach to enhance nuclear reactor safety proactively. In conclusion, this research establishes the transformative potential of AI in enhancing nuclear reactor safety. The proposed AI-driven approach empowers operators with powerful tools to ensure the safe and efficient operation of nuclear power plants. As AI technologies continue to advance, the research opens doors for further exploration and development, paving the way for a more sustainable and secure future in nuclear energy production.

Development of schemes from a single cascade to multi-cascades for separation of regenerated uranium

Returning precious fissile materials containing 235U, obtained from regenerated uranium, to the nuclear fuel cycle is important for the production of sustainable nuclear energy. Herein, starting from the basic single cascade separation scheme, schemes for enriching regenerated uranium are developed to satisfy the requirements for low-enriched uranium with a commercial grade and several supplementary separation conditions to the greatest extent for different considerations involving the consumption of natural uranium, scale of separation cascade, and material recovery. Double- and triple-cascade schemes are derived from the consideration of improving the basic scheme by eliminating its drawbacks such as the contamination of the entire cascade by artificial nuclides. All schemes are optimized based on a Q-model cascade and are compared. The results demonstrate that the triple-cascade scheme exhibits a good separation performance and may be a good choice among the existing schemes. However, the concentration of 235U in this scheme exceeds the limitation specified by the international standard for handling fissile materials; therefore, this scheme requires further improvement.

Progress in measurements of fission cross sections and total cross sections at CSNS Back-n white neutron source

The neutron-induced cross sections are of great significance for the design of nuclear devices and advanced reactors for the nuclear energy production. At CSNS Back-n white neutron source, new measurements of the fission cross sections and total cross sections are performed with two sets of Day-one spectrometers based on the multi-cell fast fission ionization chamber (FIC). The neutron-induced 236,238U fission cross sections relative to 235U from the fission threshold energy to 200 MeV were measured by using the TOF method and the Fast Ionization Chamber Spectrometer for Fission Cross Section Measurement (FIXM) in the single/double bunch mode of Back-n. The experimental uncertainties are analyzed in detail, and the results from the two modes are consistent. The measured 236,238U/235U fission cross section ratios are compared with previous experiments and evaluations. The 236,238U(n,f) cross sections are obtained based on the standard 235U fission cross section. The neutron total cross sections of carbon and aluminum in the energy region from 1 eV to 20 MeV have been measured by using the TOF method and transmission method based on the Neutron Total Cross Section Spectrometer (NTOX) in the double bunch mode. The total cross section results after unfolding are in good agreement with the previous measurements as well as the broadening of the ENDF/B-Ⅷ.0 evaluation with Gaussian function within the experimental uncertainty. The present results provide the experimental data for further measurements, relevant evaluations and the design of nuclear system.