Large Hardon Collider

[Kryssan]

Wait, I'm not on Wikipedia either, I think I just divided by zero!

There is no zero on my calculator.

Spoiler: show

http://blog.aethernavale.net/wp-cont.../sliderule.jpg

http://blog.aethernavale.net/wp-cont...ff/P412009.JPG

[Max™]

I see around fourty of them, 1.001, 1.0015, 1.002, etc.

[Kryssan]

Well, seems that reprocessing is finally starting to become more and more 'attractive'...


MOX Fuel in Japan


Crossposted:

Approvals are coming for the J-MOX nuclear fuel manufacturing plant as well as a used fuel storage facility in Japan's Aomori prefecture.



The Ministry of Ecomony Trade and Industry (Meti) has made positive decisions based on advice from the Atomic Energy Commission and Nuclear Safety Commission as well as its own Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency (Nisa). The bodies agreed that the financial and technical aspects of the plans were appropriate, as were non-proliferation measures and Meti should soon issue formal approval notices.



From next month Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) should be permitted to begin construction of J-MOX, which could produce 130 tonnes of heavy metal in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel annually. Construction would take five years.



A separate fuel storage facility should now also come from a joint venture of Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and Japan Atomic Power Company (Japco), dubbed Recyclable Fuel Storage Company. It has permission to build a facility in Mitsu City able to accept 3000 tonnes of used fuel per year - approaching half of Japan's total annual use.


It would contain the highly radioactive fuel assemblies from the firms' boiling water and pressurized water reactors until they are reprocessed at the Rokkasho plant, about 50 milometres away. A mix of recovered uranium and plutonium oxides - where the plutonium is never separated - would then be recycled into fresh mixed-oxide nuclear fuel at J-MOX, alongside Rokkasho.



The application for J-MOX was submitted to Meti in 2005 and for the storage facility in 2007. At that time construction was envisaged in mid 2007, but the powerful Niigata-Chuetsu-Oki earthquake that year caused a re-evaluation of nuclear seismic safety rules, revisions to the plans and a corresponding delay.



About 300 people will work at the J-MOX plant, which is to measure about 80 by 80 metres with three basement levels and two floors above ground. It will be resistant to earthquakes and aircraft impact.

The earthquake/aircraft thing though... um, why? I can't name any power plant/nuclear facility that isn't designed to support for a design basis casualty ranging from the Chernobyl style reactivity addition to earthquakes to humans. Maybe nuclear medicine doesn't? I don't really dabble in that field.



Edit: Some interesting stories this week.

Future stuff... still a long way off.

Crossposted:

Developments in two US states could lead to the construction of new nuclear power plants. In Iowa, legislation has been passed to enable utilities to study building new power reactors, while in California Areva has firmed up its agreement to participate in a plant near Fresno.

The governor of Iowa has signed into law a measure which encourages utilities to conduct studies into the possible expansion of nuclear energy in the state. On 28 April, at the Des Moines offices of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Governor Chet Culver signed a bill which requires rate-regulated public utilities to undertake analyses of and preparation for the possible construction of nuclear power plants in Iowa.

The legislation calls for such studies to be conducted with only a limited cost to ratepayers and with the Iowa Utilities Board providing oversight. The bill also modifies existing law related to electricity generation and to switching existing coal-based plants to other fuel sources. Utilities will be able to enter into rate-making in order to pay for investments that may lead to lower carbon emissions from current plants. This, the governor said, "opens the door for plants to switch from coal to natural gas, add 'carbon capture' to existing plants, and add gas or biomass as a primary source of fuel for these plants."

On signing the bill, Culver commented: "This bill gives Iowa utilities and consumers more tools to make decisions on our energy future. The study will give us a clear idea of what the future for nuclear and alternative energies may hold in Iowa." He added, "From the $100 million Power Fund, to wind energy, to the Office of Energy Independence, we are building our own future in energy production, and the new energy economy can create good jobs with benefits for Iowans. We are proving that environmental protection and economic growth can and should be tied together."

In March 2010, the Iowa state Senate voted to allow utility MidAmerican Energy to increase electric consumer rates so that it can study the feasibility of constructing a nuclear power plant. A vote of 37-13 in favour has allowed a $4 per year increase in residential customers' electricity bills, with a $15 increase for commercial customers and $1100 for industrial customers. Over three years the additional funds, totalling $15 million, will be used by MidAmercian to finance a study into the feasibility of constructing a second nuclear power plant in the state.

MidAmerican had previously proposed constructing a nuclear power plant in Payette County, Idaho. However, in December 2007, it announced that it had decided not to proceed. At that time, the company said that its decision was "based on economic considerations and not on issues related to the suitability of the Idaho site."

There is currently only one nuclear power plant operating in Iowa: the single-unit Duane Arnold plant. The 600 MWe boiling water reactor (BWR) is majority owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources (70%), while the Central Iowa Power Cooperative owns 20% and the Corn Belt Power Cooperative owns 10%. The reactor, which began operating in 1975, accounts for almost 10% of Iowa’s electricity generation, with the remainder primarily produced from coal-fired plants.

California dreaming

Meanwhile, in California - where a moratorium introduced in 1976 on new nuclear build is still in place - France's Areva has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fresno Nuclear Energy Group (FNEG) to develop a "clean energy park" near Fresno. The MoU follows the signing a letter of intent to cooperate in December 2009. The park, in California's Central Valley, is eventually to include nuclear and renewable electricity generation.

Under the MoU, the two companies will work together on the site selection and initial development of a nominal 1600 MWe EPR reactor. The agreement also allows for the potential development of other Areva energy technologies, such as concentrated solar power.

In a statement, Areva and FNEG said that, once the site of the energy park has been selected, work will begin on the solar phase of the park.

Before a nuclear power plant can be built on the site of the park, the legislation banning the construction of such plants in California must first be removed. A bill to repeal this moratorium was voted down in April 2007, but may be reintroduced.

[Kryssan]

More fast reactors... small steps forward.

Crossposted:

A joint venture company has been officially established for the construction of China's first commercial-scale fast neutron reactor, near Sanming city in Fujian province.

The joint venture - Sanming Nuclear Power Co Ltd - was established by China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), Fujian Investment and Development Corp and the municipal government of Sanming city. CNNC holds a majority stake in the venture. A ceremony, attended by company officials and local dignitaries, was held on 28 April to mark the joint venture's inauguration.


According to a statement from CNNC, a site survey at Sanming was completed in 2007, while a preliminary feasibility study was completed in 2008. Proposals were submitted in 2009 to build a demonstration fast reactor at Sanming in cooperation with Russia. A comprehensive feasibility study into the construction of the Sanming fast reactor was launched on 23 April during the first general meeting of the project partners.
In October 2009, a high-level agreement was signed for Russia to start pre-project and design works for two commercial 800 MWe fast neutron reactors in China, with construction due to start in August 2011. The agreement, signed with Russia's AtomStroyExport by the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) and the Chinese Nuclear Energy Industry Company (CNEIC) - a CNNC subsidiary responsible for technology imports - followed a call a year earlier by the Russian-Chinese Nuclear Cooperation Commission for construction of a demonstration fast reactor similar to the BN-800 unit being built at Beloyarsk in Russia and due to start up in 2012. Earlier in 2009, St Petersburg Atomenergopoekt said it was starting design work on a BN-800 reactor for China, with two proposed at coastal sites. The project is expected to lead to bilateral cooperation on fuel cycles for fast reactors.

Russia and China are already cooperating on one fast reactor, a small 65 MWt sodium-cooled unit known as the Chinese Experimental Fast Reactor at the China Institute of Atomic Energy near Beijing. OKBM Afrikantov is leading a Russian collaboration to build the unit, which is nearing completion.

Commercial-scale fast reactors based on it were envisaged but these may now give way to the Russian BN-800 project, which would be the first time commercial-scale fast neutron reactors have ever been exported. While thermal-spectrum nuclear reactors are the mainstay of atomic energy at the moment, by about 2040 future fuel cycles based on fast-spectrum reactors could extend uranium supplies for many centuries. While several leading nuclear nations have developed prototypes with varying levels of success, only Russia is currently committed to their commercial use.

Euro stuff

Most Europeans believe that nuclear power plants can be operated safely but still think they are a "risk", according to an extensive Eurobarometer survey.

The results of the survey of 26,470 European citizens across all 27 European Union member states, carried out in September and
October 2009, have now been published by the European Commission in a 168-page document, Europeans and Nuclear Safety.

While 59% of the Europeans surveyed felt that nuclear plants can be operated safely, most believed that the risks related to nuclear energy are underestimated, with a lack of security against terrorist attacks on power plants and the disposal and management of radioactive waste identified as the major dangers. Not surprisingly, then, the vast majority - 82% - agreed that it would be useful for nuclear waste management to be regulated at the European level.

Nevertheless, the majority of respondents recognised the value of nuclear energy as a means of decreasing dependence on energy imports, ensuring more stable and competitive energy prices, and helping to limit climate change. In fact, 17% of Europeans felt that nuclear's share of electricity generation should be increased (up from 14% in a similar poll from 2006), on top of the 39% (up from 34%) who felt that nuclear's current share should be maintained. Still, 34% felt that nuclear's share should be reduced (down from 39% in the 2006 poll).

Familiarity breeds content?

The report provides detailed breakdowns both in terms of demographics and geography, and also looks at the level of knowledge of nuclear energy amongst its population. Not surprisingly, attitudes to nuclear power and safety were generally found to be more positive in those countries that already had nuclear power plants. However, the survey also found that most Europeans felt that they were not being given sufficient information about nuclear issues, particularly radioactive waste management and environmental monitoring procedures. And in every country, a comparative majority felt that schools did not offer enough information to children to give them a basic knowledge of energy and nuclear issues.

Mass media was found to be the main source of information on nuclear issues used by the survey's respondents, with television, at 72%, the far dominant source ahead of newspapers (40%) and the internet (27%). However, scientists and national nuclear safety authorities and international organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) were identified as the most trusted source of information on nuclear energy, particularly nuclear safety, ahead of journalists. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were less trusted than journalists to provide information.

Commenting on the survey, Santiago San Antonio, director general of European nuclear industry trade association Foratom, said the European nuclear industry was committed to bridging European citizens' nuclear knowledge gap. "Experience shows that the more citizens know about nuclear energy, the more they are in favour of it," he said. Industry efforts included doing more to inform citizens on the existing solutions for the safe and efficient management of radioactive waste that are already being put into practice in a number of countries. "What is clear from this survey is that public acceptance of nuclear energy is steadily increasing," he said.

European commissioner for energy Günther Oettinger said the survey showed that people across Europe shared the same concerns, whether or not they were from countries with nuclear power. "We have to take these concerns seriously and make sure that radioactive waste is disposed safely, for our people and for our environment," he said.

Actual link to the reports they're referring to. 1 2

[Eliseos]

So a lot of things happened on this day in history, the first one is pretty relevant to this thread:

• 1006 – SN 1006, the brightest supernova in history, first appeared in the constellation Lupus, and was then seen by observers in Switzerland, Egypt, China, Japan, and possibly North America within the next day.
• 1789 – George Washington (pictured) took the oath of office as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City.
• 1945 – World War II: As Allied forces were closing in on Berlin, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide in the Führerbunker after being married for one day.
• 1948 – Twenty-one countries signed a charter in Bogotá, Colombia, establishing the Organization of American States.
• 1975 – North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon shortly after American forces ended its helicopter evacuation of U.S. citizens, South Vietnamese civilians and third country nationals from the city, ending the Vietnam War with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam.

[Woozie]

That just reminds me of how important it is that Betelgeuse explodes in our life time (well, 640 years before our lifetimes...you know what I mean). I refuse to die before seeing such an event.

[lovehatehero]

As if you could realllly refuse to die >.>

[Eliseos]

If you're Jack Bauer, you can.

[Kryssan]

As if you could realllly refuse to die >.>

I do it every day.

[lovehatehero]

Not really, refusing to do something is an act of NOT doing it. You aren't necessarily not dying on your own free will so much, you got lucky enough to not get struck down by one of any random BS thing that could kill you...

[Kryssan]

It's all just chance anyway.

[Eliseos]

Unless if you're an engineer, then you have people like Woozie plotting your demise.

[Woozie]

Not really, refusing to do something is an act of NOT doing it. You aren't necessarily not dying on your own free will so much, you got lucky enough to not get struck down by one of any random BS thing that could kill you...

His exposure to nuclear materials has granted him superpowers, among which is control over his own death.

As for me, I don't care how the laws of nature work, I absolutely refuse to die no matter what until I see Betelgeuse go supernova. I can do that because that's just how determined I am.

[lovehatehero]

Well, then i stand corrected. Carry on.

[Max™]

I have this image of Woozie cutting off the heads of engineers, then being inundated with lightning bolts in a sort of highlander type theme.

The Geekening.

[Kryssan]

His exposure to nuclear materials has granted him superpowers their stochastic effects, among which is control over his own death.

FTFY. Heh, and here I thought noone would even get close to realizing the joke, but that isn't too far off from what I intended. But I imagine it probably was only funny to me. That's the problem with scientists, we make fun of our own fields and noone else gets the jokes.

It's all just chance anyway.

[Max™]

What's funny about your EM/Gravitational/Nuclear fields?

[Kryssan]

What's funny about your EM/Gravitational/Nuclear fields?

Oh Max, you make this too easy.

[Max™]

http://www.google.com/search?btnG=1&...lear+fields%3F

Full loop at the top of the page!

Also: you totally missed that I was making a pun on you using the word "fields" to imply you meant the various fields which are associated with your physical body, apparently.

[Pirian]

More Stephen Hawking tonight \o/