ANS Newswire August 22, 2020

 

August 22, 2020

Nuclear News Feature of the Week Fuel compact cross section showing dozens of individual TRISO particles. Two decades of DOE investment lays the foundation for TRISO-fueled reactors. Featured in the August issue of Nuclear News, this article reviews the development of Tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel for use in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors at DOE labs. The research conducted by the DOE progarm over the past two decades in the areas of fuel fabrication, optimization of TRISO particle design, modernization of characterization and inspection methods for quality control, instrumented irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination, and safety testing will pave the way for commercial development. Read now Newswire's top stories of the week ANS convenes new task force on federal nuclear R&D funding. The American Nuclear Society has formed a Task Force on Public Investment in Nuclear Research and Development to assess the R&D needs of the U.S. nuclear technology enterprise and the federal investment required to meet those needs. The task force will identify the overarching objectives of U.S. nuclear R&D and identify specific metrics that can be used to evaluate progress toward those objectives. Read now NASA work on lattice confinement fusion grabs attention. An article recently published on the IEEE Energywise blog heralds “Spacecraft of the Future,” which could be powered by lattice confinement fusion. While lattice confinement fusion is not a new concept and is definitely not ready for practical applications, it has been detected within metal samples by NASA researchers at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, using an electron accelerator–driven experimental process. Read now Salt Waste Processing Facility at SRS approved for start. The Department of Energy approved the start of operations at the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS), authorizing hot (radioactive) operations to begin at the facility, the agency announced. The approval comes five months ahead of the current baseline completion date of January 31, 2021. Parsons Corporation, which designed and built the first-of-a-kind facility, will operate it for one year. Read now DOE funds EPRI welding work to support NuScale demonstration. The Department of Energy recently announced that $5.1 million would go to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to develop modular-in-chamber electron beam welding capabilities to support reactor pressure vessel welding for NuScale Power’s small modular reactor design. The project has a total value of nearly $6.5 million, of which the DOE will provide about $5.1 million. Read now U.S. takes next step in support of Poland’s nuclear vision. While the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement grabbed more attention, it was not the only U.S.-Poland pact inked in Warsaw last week. The two countries also initialed a draft bilateral agreement to cooperate in the development of Poland’s civil nuclear power program, according to the State Department. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on August 15 to discuss the partnership, in addition to other matters including the improvement of regional energy and infrastructure through the Three Seas Initiative, the department said. Read now