Prospects For Nuclear Power Research Articles

Kerntechnik als Sicherheitsversprechen

Abstract In the mid-1970s, the dangers associated with nuclear power moved to the center of risk debates in Germany. Following the reactor accident at Three Mile Island (1979) and the Chernobyl disaster (1986), the West German nuclear industry’s business prospects severely deteriorated. How did the nuclear industry perceive and confront the challenge of nuclear skepticism? And how did this emerging challenge alter the perceived future of nuclear technology in the Federal Republic and beyond? The article argues that the nuclear industry did not passively accept the »depletion of utopian energies« (J. Habermas) to which the peaceful use of the atom was subjected. Instead, the industry worked to create new (utopian) prospects for nuclear power. The industry’s public relations campaign positioned nuclear power in two interrelated fields of insecurity: the decline of industrial society and environmental crises. Both threats, ran the argument put forth by nuclear proponents, could only be combatted by relying on nuclear power for electricity production. In this way, nuclear power was translated into a comprehensive promise of security that was intended to salvage the future of nuclear power as well as that of its investors in the face of growing anti-nuclear sentiment.

Expansion of nuclear power technology to new countries – SMRs, safety culture issues, and the need for an improved international safety regime

This article reviews the status and prospects of nuclear power around the world and provides a perspective on the need to strengthen national and international safety regimes and bolster nuclear safety culture globally – one prerequisite for a sustained role of the technology in the future. It discusses the prospects in countries that have never deployed nuclear power before but have expressed an interest in adding it to their future national energy mixes. Many of these “newcomer” countries are considering small modular reactor (SMR) designs which hold promise for fitting better into their local electricity systems. Thus, the article considers the technical attributes of these designs and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of SMRs with an emphasis on economics, grid compatibility and most importantly, safety. Attributes of a safety culture are discussed from social and cultural aspects, including topics of good governance and the presence of an independent national regulatory authority. Beyond the need for strong national safety regulations, the article also highlights the need to strengthen the international regulatory regime, if nuclear power is to succeed in achieving the highest levels of safety globally. Finally, the qualities of such a regime are discussed.

Global Nuclear Power Development Trend in 2016

This paper mainly describes the situation of global nuclear power units both operational and under construction, summarizes the development progress of key construction nuclear power projects, and the characteristics of the global nuclear power development, including policy and planning, deployment of advanced nuclear power technology and small modular reactors technologies, global nuclear power market competition and cooperation, as well as active development of China’s nuclear power “Go global” strategy, it briefly analyzes the development trend and prospects of nuclear power.

The Neutron's Discovery - 80 Years on

Abstract A brief review is given of selected highlights in scientific developments from the birth of modern nuclear physics at the end of the 19th century to the discovery of the neutron in 1932. This is followed by some important milestones in neutron and reactor physics that have led to our current understanding and implementation of nuclear technologies. The beginnings can be traced back to the discovery of X-rays by Roentgen, the identification of natural radioactivity by Becquerel and the discovery of the electron by Thomson, towards the end of the 19th Century. Rutherford was a key figure in experimental physics who determined the structure of the atom and who inspired his students at McGill, Manchester and Cambridge Universities (many of whom would become Nobel laureates) in the pursuit of their physics research. One of Rutherford's students, James Chadwick, had studied the work carried out by Bothe and Becker on alpha particle-induced disintegration of light elements which had led to their observation of high energy penetrating radiation that neither they nor the Joliot-Curies could identify. Chadwick knew that the only possible explanation was the emission of a neutron in the nuclear reaction. He carried out tests in the Cavendish Laboratory and submitted his now classical paper identifying the neutron to the periodical Nature in 1932. The discovery of the neutron and of nuclear fission in 1939 opened up new areas for scientific investigation, in, for example, astrophysics, geology, neutron and nuclear physics. The prospects for nuclear power in particular appeared to be unlimited and both civil and military applications have been actively pursued. Many new experimental facilities have been designed and built to provide intense sources of neutrons for research purposes. Work carried out in such centres is included in the programme of the 7th International Topical Meeting on Neutron Radiography, an important forum for discussion of the latest research work of this ever-growing scientific community.

Prospects for Nuclear Power

Nuclear power has long been controversial because of concerns about nuclear accidents, storage of spent fuel, and how the spread of nuclear power might raise risks of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. These concerns are real and important. However, emphasizing these concerns implicitly suggests that unless these issues are taken into account, nuclear power would otherwise be cost effective compared to other forms of electricity generation. This implication is unwarranted. Throughout the history of nuclear power, a key challenge has been the high cost of construction for nuclear plants. Construction costs are high enough that it becomes difficult to make an economic argument for nuclear even before incorporating these external factors. This is particularly true in countries like the United States where recent technological advances have dramatically increased the availability of natural gas. The chairman of one of the largest U.S. nuclear companies recently said that his company would not break ground on a new nuclear plant until the price of natural gas was more than double today's level and carbon emissions cost $25 per ton. This comment summarizes the current economics of nuclear power pretty well. Yes, there is a certain confluence of factors that could make nuclear power a viable economic option. Otherwise, a nuclear power renaissance seems unlikely.

The fallout from Fukushima

The huge earthquake off the Japanese coast on 11 March continues to send ripples across the globe – not least because of the accident that it caused at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, it may ultimately prove even more damaging to the prospects for nuclear power, as countries from China to Germany now rethink their energy policies. Japan itself has just announced it will abandon current plans to expand its own nuclear industry and'make efforts to further promote renewable energy'.

Status and prospects of nuclear power in Asian countries

This paper documents the relative position or standing of Asian countries in terms of nuclear energy power production and compares it with the rest of the world, especially North America and Western Europe.

Nuclear Power Prospects in the USA: The Continuing Problem of the Waste Issue

This paper addresses two questions concerning the economics and prospects for nuclear power in the USA: 1) What is the long term economic future of nuclear energy? 2) Is the inability to solve the nuclear waste issue a factor that will limit new nuclear plant development? With respect to the first question, we find that the long term economic future of nuclear energy is uncertain, at best. Despite recent interest in a “nuclear renaissance,” objective, rigorous studies have concluded that, at present, new nuclear power plants are not economically competitive with coal or natural gas for electricity generation and will not be for the foreseeable future. With respect to the second question, we find that the inability to solve the nuclear waste issue will likely limit new nuclear plant development. Nuclear waste disposal poses a serous, seemingly intractable problem for the future of nuclear power, and the waste issue could be a show stopper for new nuclear plants. Thus, while some new nuclear power plants will likely be built in the U.S. over the next two decades, a major “nuclear renaissance” is unlikely.

Nuclear power economics and prospects in the USA

This paper addresses three questions concerning the economics of and prospects for nuclear power in the USA: (1) What is the long-term economic future of nuclear energy? (2) Is the inability to resolve the nuclear waste issue a factor that will limit new nuclear plant development? (3) Are the new designs for nuclear plants an advance over current designs? With respect to the first question, we find that the long-term economic future of nuclear energy is uncertain, at best. Despite recent interest in a 'nuclear renaissance', objective, rigorous studies have concluded that at present, new nuclear power plants are not economically competitive with coal or natural gas for electricity generation and will not be for the foreseeable future. With respect to the second question, we find that the inability to resolve the nuclear waste issue will likely limit new nuclear plant development. Nuclear waste disposal poses a serious, seemingly intractable problem for the future of nuclear power and the waste issue could be a showstopper for new nuclear plants. With respect to the third question, the new designs for nuclear plants are an advance over current designs, but only marginally. Thus, while some new nuclear power plants will likely be built in the USA over the next two decades, a major 'nuclear renaissance' is unlikely.

Prospects for nuclear power in Australia and New Zealand

The nuclear debate in Australia was recently enlivened by a Federal Government report (released in December 2006) on the economic viability of nuclear power as an option for electricity generation. Given the nation's large reserves of coal and gas, the question of the role of nuclear power rests to a large extent on future climate policy. Australia has the world's largest reserves of uranium and is currently the second largest producer and exporter of the resource in the world. There may be some scope in the future for Australia to expand its nuclear industry to include enrichment and reprocessing activities.

Prospects for nuclear power in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st century

The lack of reliable, accessible and affordable energy hinders development in Sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest region in the world. Nuclear power promises to be the cheapest and most reliable source of electricity for many African countries. Nuclear power plants (typically 250 MWe in capacity or smaller) can be located near load centres and thus help overcome the problem of inadequate transmission grids. The lack of technical skills is a particular problem. Waste disposal and adverse public perceptions would be less of a problem in Africa. The risk of proliferation could be addressed by not having uranium enrichment on the African continent.

Prospects for nuclear power in the 21st century: a world tour

Objectives and content of the journal special issue on 'Prospects for nuclear energy in the 21st century' are introduced. It is concluded that the main reasons for considering nuclear power in the national energy portfolios include hedging against supply security risks and high fossil energy prices in most countries, complemented by climate change mitigation in developed countries and by local and regional air pollution reduction in developing countries. Concerns over nuclear power include operation safety, nuclear weapon proliferation, economic performance, nuclear waste disposal and public acceptance. The relative importance of these factors diverges widely across regions and countries.

Prospects for nuclear energy in West Asia and North Africa

Population and economic growth in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) continue to drive upward the demand for energy services and freshwater. Currently, oil and gas are the principal fuels for electricity generation and desalination, but this is expected to change in the future. Demand expectations, high oil and gas prices, export revenue maximisation, energy supply security considerations and strategic geo-political factors but also the cumulative advancements in operational safety and techno-economic performance have put nuclear power back on the energy agendas of many countries in the WANA region. This paper reviews the short- and medium-term prospects of nuclear power in a diverse region with energy rich and energy poor sub-regions. Key challenges include the development of prerequisite nuclear infrastructures, finance and proliferation issues.

South-East Asian prospects for nuclear power

South-East Asia's strong economic growth of recent decades is expected to endure the requirement of increasing amounts of energy as well as the corresponding capital investments. The development of a nuclear power industry has been considered for some time in several states, but concrete government action is yet to follow. Decisions to launch nuclear power programmes would be facilitated if and when the international nuclear energy scene becomes more conducive, especially if countries in other regions either revive or adopt nuclear power programmes within the next few years for reasons such as mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, security of supply or lower electricity costs.

Evolution of the Indian Nuclear Power Program

▪ Abstract Presently, India occupies a leading place among Asian nations in the indigenous design, development, construction, and operation of nuclear power reactors. Nuclear power generation in India is based on a three-stage plan to eventually make use of the abundant national resources of thorium, through the use of fast breeder reactors. To achieve this long-range goal, India had to necessarily start with setting up heavy water–moderated, natural uranium–fueled power reactors to produce the plutonium required for the subsequent stages. But, as a result of India's nuclear weapon test in 1974, the developed nations imposed a comprehensive ban on the export of nuclear materials and technology to India, and these sanctions are still in force. This article outlines the steps followed by India to successfully counter these sanctions over the last 25 years and presents a critical evaluation of the potential problems and prospects of nuclear power in India.

Energy Resources and Conversion Technologies for the 21st Century

A variety of energy sources will compete to provide the energy services that humans will require over the next 100 years. The balance of these sources will depend upon the availability of fossil fuels and the development of new technologies including renewable energy technologies, and will be one of the keys in projecting greenhouse gas emissions. There is uncertainty about each of the energy sources. With oil, for example, there are two alternate views of future reserves, one that reserves are geologically limited and that supplies will decline within a decade or two, the other that there are enormous quantities of hydrocarbon in the earth’s crust and that reserves are a function of developing technology and price. With solar voltaics, as a second example, there is optimism that the technology will become increasingly competitive, but there is uncertainty about the rate at which costs can come down and about ultimate cost levels. This paper reviews the reserves of fossil fuels and the prospects for nuclear power and the renewables. It also reviews the main energy conversion technologies that are available now or are expected to become increasingly available through time. However, it should be noted that, over a time horizon of 100 years, there may be quite radical changes in both production and conversion technologies that cannot be predicted and it is quite possible for some as yet unheard of technology to be developed and to transform the markets. The paper has been written to aid the development of new scenarios for the emission of greenhouse gases for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

A nuclear reconnaissance

The prospects for nuclear power will depend in the long run mainly on its perceived competitiveness-itself a function of relative costs and performance-and on success in finally disposing of nuclear wastes. This paper surveys some of the more significant recent news. Although nuclear electricity may seem a sleepy slow-moving subject, there have been major but little-noted developments in many areas. The paper discusses premature US plant closings and improved performance, a gathering storm over spent fuel in Europe and Japan, and an attitudinal change in Sweden.

Sustainable development and advanced nuclear energy concepts of the post-Soviet countries

The concept of sustainable development and the status and prospects of nuclear power in the newly-independent states on the territory of former Soviet Union are considered. The ecological and economic prerequisites as well as the scientific-technical and industrial basis, advanced nuclear energy technologies for implementation of the national programs are discussed.

95/00463 Securing our energy future: The government's review of the prospects for nuclear power. A summary

95/00463 Securing our energy future: The government's review of the prospects for nuclear power. A summary

Energy Outlook in the Asia-Pacific Region: Declining Oil Availability and Its Impact on Gas Requirements

This paper examines the Asia-Pacific energy situation and highlights the role of competing fuels within the global context. Asia-Pacific oil and gas reserves are pre sented and the pattern of energy consumption is explained. A review of the current and future energy requirements of the region reveals that the dependence on outside oil will grow, as indigenous oil production in the region will decline significantly over the next 10-15 years. This will force the region to look for alternate energy options. The paper argues that energy options are limited in the Asia-Pacific region. While nuclear power prospects in the Northeast look bright, the real energy option is natural gas. Many Asian countries are rich in natural gas resources. The reserve-production ratio for gas is much larger than that of oil. Thus, concerted government policies on incentives for natural gas exploration/production, expansion of natural gas use through government assistance with the infrastructure investments, and conversion of oil to gas facilities are suggested for the development of natural gas in the region.