Articles tagged with Fission Reactors
The US nuclear power renaissance faces a blind spot in uranium fuel supplies, which are tight, vulnerable to geopolitics, and expensive. New fuel forms for advanced reactors offer promise, but scaling them affordably could squeeze conventional fuel markets.
Researchers at EAST have successfully accessed a theorized 'density-free regime' for fusion plasmas, achieving stable operation at densities beyond conventional limits. This breakthrough provides new insights into overcoming one of the most persistent physical obstacles on the path toward nuclear fusion ignition.
The Armour Research Foundation Reactor, the world's first private nuclear reactor, was designated a Nuclear Historic Landmark for its pioneering work in agriculture, chemistry, and medicine. The reactor employed an innovative safety design using liquid nuclear fuel, enhancing safety in densely populated Chicago.
Researchers developed a detector that senses and analyzes antineutrinos emitted by nuclear reactors, enabling detection of reactor use even from hundreds of miles away. The device exploits Cherenkov radiation to characterize energy profiles and can distinguish between operational cycles and specific isotopes in spent fuel.
Research by the University of Oklahoma reveals that Americans have broad public support for fusion energy, but limited knowledge and frequent misconceptions. The study's findings emphasize the importance of addressing public confusion and desire for safety to expand fusion energy support.
A team of researchers, led by Associate Professor Hiroyuki Fujioka from Tokyo Institute of Technology, investigated the feasibility of bound tetraneutron emission in thermal neutron-induced fission of Uranium-235. They found that the instrumental neutron activation method can be applied to address open questions in nuclear physics.
The Chi-Nu experiment has contributed never-before-observed data for enhancing nuclear security applications and understanding criticality safety. The results inform nuclear models, Monte Carlo calculations, and reactor performance calculations.
Research provides first direct evidence of volatilization of control rods during the FDNichi meltdowns, suggesting that boron remains in the fuel debris. This could limit fission reactions, but extensive follow-up studies are needed to characterize boron species across debris fragments.
The Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment will provide crucial operational data for fast-spectrum salt reactors and unlock this uniquely flexible advanced reactor technology for use in a net-zero future. The project represents a significant inflection point in the technology demonstration roadmap for TerraPower's MCFR.
Researchers develop technology to measure antineutrino flow from nuclear reactors, allowing for remote monitoring of fuel changes. The technique has the potential to detect even small changes in fuel assemblies, enabling real-time verification of reactor operations.
The Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) developed a model of the Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor core before startup and simulated its initial cycle. The simulations confirmed engineers' predictions on safe operation and provided detailed hour-by-hour behavior during power escalation. CASL's high-fidelity code su...
The Precision Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment (PROSPECT) aims to detect neutrinos emitted from the reactor, extracting information about neutrino oscillations over short distances. The experiment may reveal the existence of a fourth neutrino flavor that does not interact via the weak force.
The Daya Bay Collaboration has captured the most precise energy measurements of reactor antineutrinos, indicating two intriguing discrepancies with theoretical models. The measured energy spectrum shows a surprising excess of antineutrinos at an energy of around 5 million electron volts.
A new nuclear power plant design could provide a compact and reliable source of electricity for manned or unmanned bases on the Moon and Mars. The system is designed to operate in various locations such as craters, canyons, or caves, and can generate large amounts of power, approximately the same as powering eight houses on Earth.
Researchers analyzed a sample from Gabon's natural nuclear chain reaction site and found how the reactor operated in a 30-minute cycle. The study also revealed the role of alumophosphate as the system's waste absorber, providing insights into safer nuclear reactor operations.
Los Alamos is leading reactor design for the JIMO mission, which would orbit icy moons to study their makeup and potential for sustaining life. The lab is developing key technologies such as nuclear fuel, beryllium components, and diagnostic instruments for a safe and reliable space reactor.