Nuclear Future Volume 9 issue 1 International news Please send your news to
nuclearfuture@barkerbrooks.co.uk
Nuclear back on agenda after Japanese election
The future of Japan’s planned nuclear phaseout looks less certain following a landslide victory for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the first general election held since the country suspended most of its nuclear generation. Nuclear power has been one of the issues around which the
12 parties competing in the election have been campaigning. The economic struggles faced by Japan in recent years were compounded by the devastating effects of the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 which also triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. The country’s recovery has been hampered by the loss of its nuclear generating capacity, the vast majority of which remains off line for extended safety assessments following the accident at Fukushima Daiichi. A policy that would see Japan phase out nuclear energy
completely by the 2030s was launched by Noda’s government in September. However, the LDP was not supportive of the plans and prior to the elections Abe had branded plans to end the use of nuclear power “irresponsible.” Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) chairman Makoto Yagi called on the newly-elected government to review and modify the plans announced in September 2012 to make them “more realistic”. In a statement, he said that nuclear power should be included in a diverse energy portfolio, considering Japan’s limited indigenous energy resources. With its nuclear plants offline Japan has relied on fossil fuels,
which it must import, for power generation. This has also led to increases in its greenhouse gas emissions.
US geologic repository due by 2048
The US would begin operating a deep geologic repository for high- level radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel by 2048 under a new strategy announced by the Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE recently released a report outlining its strategy for addressing proposals of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. The commission was set up by president Barack Obama in January 2010 to provide recommendations for developing a long-term solution to managing the nation’s nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel. The DOE report recommends building a pilot storage facility with
limited capacity that would temporarily store used nuclear fuel, initially from reactors that already have been shut down. That facility would open in 2021. A full-scale temporary storage facility would be built, to open in 2025, that would “provide flexibility” in meeting the federal commitment to accept used commercial nuclear fuel. The government would also work towards finding a site and having a permanent geological repository available by 2048.
Nuclear and Stirling engines spur space
exploration (and nod to The Simpsons) A team of researchers from NASA and Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated a new reactor concept that combines a Stirling engine with modern heat pipe cooling technology to provide a power source for future space missions. The design is a combination of old
and modern technology that is flexible, lightweight and does not require complex controls. According to the
developers it could be used on exploration missions to supplement existing Pu-238 power systems, and therefore help preserve stocks of the valuable radioisotope, which is currently in short supply. A full-scale reactor would consists of just six sections: a 23kg
enriched uranium core, a core reflector, a single control rod fully capable of turning the reactor on and off, radiation shielding and eight heat pipes connected to eight Stirling engines that would generate electricity. The entire unit would be compact and passively safe – relying on principles of nuclear physics to adjust reactivity and power output rather than any additional equipment. Being modular with an intended capacity of 500 We, it would be
straightforward to add units as required and future scaled-up designs could even be used for both surface and space propulsion. The simplicity of the design makes it easy to assemble and should make it comparatively easy to license. The Demonstration Using Flattop Fission (DUFF) experiment was
carried out at the Nevada National Security Site’s Device Assembly Facility. The scaled-down prototype – dubbed KRUSTY (Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY) – produced only 24 We, but confirmed the basic principle of the design. “The nuclear characteristics and thermal power level of the
experiment are remarkably similar to our space reactor flight concept,” noted Los Alamos engineer David Poston. “The biggest difference between DUFF and a possible flight system is that the Stirling input temperature would need to be hotter to attain the required efficiency and power output needed for space missions.” DUFF is noteworthy in being the first demonstration of a new
space reactor system to take place in the USA since 1965. Its designers hope that it will open up “new frontiers” for space exploration and research. The demonstration arguably also holds lessons for the verification and testing of new nuclear power reactors. “Perhaps one of the more important aspects of this experiment
is that it was taken from concept to completion in 6 months for less than a million dollars,” said Los Alamos engineer David Dixon. “We wanted to show that with a tightly-knit and focused team, it is possible to successfully perform practical reactor testing.”
10 International news
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