Czech scientists have received a US patent for their discovery that a polycrystalline-diamond coating can significantly protect fuel rods against corrosion during both normal reactor operation and accidents. Researchers from the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics of the Czech Technical University (CTU CIIRC) and the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences …
The UK and Japan have signed a research and technology deployment collaboration agreement to help automate nuclear decommissioning and aspects of fusion energy production. The collaboration is expected to lead to new robotics and automation techniques used in Japan and the UK. The four-year, GBP12 million (USD16 million) UK-Japanese robotics project – referred to as …
Romanian national nuclear company Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN) has been awarded a non-refundable grant of USD1.28 million by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for use in the identification of potential sites in Romania to host small modular reactors. The USTDA is an independent federal government agency focused on connecting US companies with export …
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), part of the US Department of Energy, has outlined its plan to support the existing US nuclear generation fleet, demonstrate the latest innovations in nuclear energy technologies and explore new market opportunities. The Strategic Vision is a blueprint for NE to achieve its mission of advancing nuclear energy science and …
The Canadian government has released a national Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Action Plan, which responds to the 53 recommendations identified in the country’s SMR Roadmap that was launched in November 2018. The plan lays out the next steps for the development, demonstration and deployment of SMRs for multiple applications at home and abroad. According to …
The Canadian government has launched a strategy that sees low-carbon and zero-emission hydrogen fuel technology as a key part of the nation’s path to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The strategy is underpinned by a federal investment of CAD1.5 billion (USD1.2 billion) in a Low-carbon and Zero-emissions Fuels Fund to increase the production and use …
Researchers show that deep reinforcement learning can be used to design more efficient nuclear reactors. In this AI-designed layout for a boiling water reactor, fuel rods are ideally positioned around two fixed water rods to burn more efficiently. MIT researchers ran the equivalent of 36,000 simulations to find the optimal configurations, which could extend the …
DOE Programs Support Cross-Cutting Research WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to provide up to $12 million for new research on nuclear data. The aim is to expand and improve the quality of data needed for a wide range of nuclear-related activities from basic research in nuclear science …
A number of western municipal utilities are trying to avoid getting locked into a first-of-a-kind nuclear project if its costs continue to go up. The members of Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) are in talks to potentially transform the structure of what would be the first commercial-scale small modular nuclear reactor facility in the …
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A 3D-printed nuclear reactor, if built and demonstrated, could open a path to advanced commercial nuclear power stations that produce carbon-free electricity at a cost competitive with natural gas turbine power plants. That’s the hope of Kurt Terrani, director of the Transformational Challenge Reactor Demonstration Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. …