Spring 08 Colloquiums

First ideas about to build nuclear power plant in Lithuania was officially discussed and preliminary decisions were made by Soviet Union government in 1958 just four years after first Soviet nuclear power plant start operation in Obninsk. But two years later that decision was cancelled, because Soviet Union government under pressure of Defence ministry decided to delay civil nuclear power plant development program and majority of uranium resources dedicate to military purposes. » read more

This paper examines the cost structure of the light water reactor (LWR) fuel fabrication industry. The LEU industry is decades old, and (except for high entry cost), labor and additional fabrication lines can be added at (Nth-of-a-Kind) cost to the maximum capacity allowed by the license. This means that new entrants could have a difficult time penetrating a market where incumbents can add and subtract new lines at low cost. Therefore, the commercial market safeguards against new entrants and can add capacity whenever it is needed to existing sites. This industry appears to be sustainable. » read more

Colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles are known as ‘nanofluids’. Such engineered fluids offer the potential for enhancing heat transfer, particularly boiling heat transfer, while avoiding the drawbacks (i.e., erosion, settling, clogging) that hindered the use of particle-laden fluids in the past. At MIT we have been studying the heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids for the past 3½ years, with the goal of evaluating their benefits for and applicability to nuclear power systems (i.e., primary coolant, safety systems, severe accident mitigation strategies). » read more

Lay out the INL vision and progress toward its mission to be followed by a brief description of the laboratory organization structure and major areas of activity. The talk will focus on programs associated with Nuclear Science & Engineering, briefly describing Gen IV activities (NGNP and GNEP) and current Gen III/III+ activities.

The Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management plans to submit an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June 2008 seeking authorization to begin construction of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Documentation is now complete for the Total System Performance Assessment that provides the quantitative estimates of long-term performance that will be a central element of the license application. » read more

COLLOQUIUM
Monday, April 7, 2008

“The Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor: Concepts for Small and Medium Sized Reactors for International Deployment”

Presented By

Dr. Craig Smith

Lawrence Livermore Chair Professor, Department of Physics, Naval Postgraduate School » read more

The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) is dependent upon a credible program for construction and operation of commercial fuel cycle facilities and a fast reactor. Two of the required facilities – an Advanced Recycling Reactor (ARR) and a Nuclear Fuel Recycling Center (NFRC) – emerged from the expenditure of approximately $100 million in government funds during the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor program. » read more

Transmutation of nuclear fuel has received (renewed) attention in recent years in the US, e.g. in the Generation IV framework and GNEP. The common denominator is the application of fast reactor for nuclear fuel transmutation missions, with the ultimate goal of significantly reducing the long term waste storage requirements (geologic repositories etc). » read more