A Fusion Neutron Source Driven Sub-Critical Nuclear Energy System: A Way for Early Application of Fusion Technology

This paper proposes a sub-critical nuclear energy system driven by fusion neutron source, FDS, which can be used to transmute long-lived radioactive wastes and to produce fissile nuclear fuel as a way for early application of fusion technology. The necessity and feasibility to develop that system in China are illustrated on the basis of prediction of the demand of energy source in the first half of the 21th century, the status of current fission energy supply and the progress in fusion technology in the world. The characteristics of fusion neutron driver and the potential for transmutation of long-lived nuclear wastes and breeding of fissile nuclear fuel in a blanket are analyzed. A scenario of development steps is proposed.

Nuclear energy generation rates on magnetar surfaces

Based on the new screening model, this paper discusses the influence of superstrong magnetic fields on nuclear energy generation rates on the surface of magnetars. The obtained result shows that the superstrong magnetic fields can increase the nuclear energy generation rates by many orders of magnitude. The enhancement may have a significant influence for further study of the magnetars, especially for the cooling, the x-ray luminosity observation and the evolution of the magnetars.

Research progress on preparation technology of oxide dispersion strengthened steel for nuclear energy

Nuclear energy is a low-carbon,safe,efficient,and sustainable clean energy.The new generation of nuclear energy systems operate in harsher environments under higher working temperatures and irradiation doses,while traditional nuclear power materials cannot meet the requirements.The development of high-performance nuclear power materials is a key factor for promoting the development of nuclear energy.Oxide dispersion strengthened(ODS)steel contains a high number density of dispersed nano-oxides and defect sinks and exhibits excellent high temperature creep performance and irradiation swelling resistance.Therefore,ODS steel has been considered as one of the most promising candidate materials for fourth-generation nuclear fission reactor cladding tubes and nuclear fusion reactor blankets.The preparation process significantly influences microstructure of ODS steel.This paper reviews the development and perspective of several preparation processes of ODS steel,including the powder metallurgy process,improved powder metallurgy process,liquid metal forming process,hybrid process,and additive forging.This paper also summarizes and analyzes the relationship between microstructures and the preparation process.After comprehensive consideration,the powder metallurgy process is still the best preparation process for ODS steel.Combining the advantages and disadvantages of the above preparation processes,the trend applied additive forging for extreme manufacturing of large ODS steel components is discussed with the goal of providing a reference for the application and development of ODS steel in nuclear energy.

Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Economic Development

The discovery and the application of nuclear energy constitute the most important technological achievement of the past century. However, the development and the exploitation of this technology have been remarkably smaller than foreseeable. An overview of the significant features of the nuclear technology including the comparison with competitive energy sources is made. The “embedded” safety engineering and the pollution are discussed and the main features are mentioned. Indeed, nuclear technology can be applied for the sustainable society development by producing substantial amount of clean water from the ocean. The idea is to build up nuclear power plant sites that produce desalinated water and pump it several tens of kilometers away to form a lake into a desert region. This could help to establish the conditions for an agriculture-based civilization.

China continues safe nuclear energy

As a significant component of China’s effort to resolve energy problems, nuclear power will be kept developing in China, and the safety of which can be ensured. The remarks came at a time when uncertainties loom over China’s nuclear future. Beijing suspended approvals

Standards alliance on proton, superconductor and nuclear energy established

The inaugural meeting of international standards alliance for proton,superconductor and nuclear energy application under the"Belt and Road"Initiative was held in Hefei,Anhui Province on December 4,2017.Representatives of China,Russia,Italy,Thailand and Pakistan signed the international standards alliance initiative,in an effort to create a new situation for the application of proton,superconductor and nuclear energy based on collaboration,sharing and win-win.

The Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy in China

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China Starts Studies into New Systems of Nuclear Energy

With the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), scientists from the Chinese Academy of Atomic Energy and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) formally kicked off a new project to look into clean nuclear energy on September 27th in Beijing. The study, known as the accelerator-driven system of clean

Articulating CO_(2)emissions limiting roles of nuclear energy and ICT under the EKC hypothesis:An application of non-parametric MMQR approach

Limiting toxic elements from being exposed to the world’s atmosphere has been the biggest challenge among environmental researchers and stakeholders.Climate change conferences have been counselling the global economies to take serious steps toward profound decarbonization to keep the universal temperature below 1.5C.In this context,the direction of environmental research has changed,and researchers are more focused on tracing how to limit pollution and keep it below the threshold level.In this milieu,nuclear energy can make a big difference along with other alternatives to fossil energy.Therefore,we extend the extant literature by exploring the dynamic effects of atomic energy and ICT on carbon emissions(CO_(2))for top nuclear energy countries using data from 1990 to 2017.To obtain robust findings,we deploy a novel non-parametric econometric approach(i.e.,method of moments quantile regression).The results suggest that nuclear energy is a sustainable alternative to historical fossil fuel as it curbs CO_(2)emissions in the lower,middle,and upper quantiles.Furthermore,our findings corroborate that ICT penetration through the internet,mobile and telephone plays a vital role in improving environmental quality.Moreover,we unveil that linear economic growth jeopardizes the environment by unleashing harmful gases.The findings also support the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve(EKC)hypothesis by confirming the negative association between the polynomial economic growth(squared-GDP)and CO_(2)emissions among the designated nations.Also,the Granger causality test reaffirms the causal nexus among selected series that runs from nuclear energy and technological innovation to CO_(2)emissions,indicating that any policy shock in both series leads to environmental degradation.We,therefore,advocate that the designated territories keep enriching their energy baskets with nuclear energy and boost ICT penetration to achieve a 100%decoupling of economic growth from pollution.

Investigation of Nuclear Binding Energy and Charge Radius Based on Random Forest Algorithm

The random forest algorithm was applied to study the nuclear binding energy and charge radius.The regularized root-mean-square of error(RMSE)was proposed to avoid overfitting during the training of random forest.RMSE for nuclides with Z,N>7 is reduced to 0.816 MeV and 0.0200 fm compared with the six-term liquid drop model and a three-term nuclear charge radius formula,respectively.Specific interest is in the possible(sub)shells among the superheavy region,which is important for searching for new elements and the island of stability.The significance of shell features estimated by the so-called shapely additive explanation method suggests(Z,N)=(92,142)and(98,156)as possible subshells indicated by the binding energy.Because the present observed data is far from the N=184 shell,which is suggested by mean-field investigations,its shell effect is not predicted based on present training.The significance analysis of the nuclear charge radius suggests Z=92 and N=136 as possible subshells.The effect is verified by the shell-corrected nuclear charge radius model.

Reliable calculations of nuclear binding energies by the Gaussian process of machine learning

Reliable calculations of nuclear binding energies are crucial for advancing the research of nuclear physics. Machine learning provides an innovative approach to exploring complex physical problems. In this study, the nuclear binding energies are modeled directly using a machine-learning method called the Gaussian process. First, the binding energies for 2238 nuclei with Z > 20 and N > 20 are calculated using the Gaussian process in a physically motivated feature space, yielding an average deviation of 0.046 MeV and a standard deviation of 0.066 MeV. The results show the good learning ability of the Gaussian process in the studies of binding energies. Then, the predictive power of the Gaussian process is studied by calculating the binding energies for 108 nuclei newly included in AME2020. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental data, reflecting the good predictive power of the Gaussian process. Moreover, the α-decay energies for 1169 nuclei with 50 ≤ Z ≤ 110 are derived from the theoretical binding energies calculated using the Gaussian process. The average deviation and the standard deviation are, respectively, 0.047 MeV and 0.070 MeV. Noticeably, the calculated α-decay energies for the two new isotopes ^ (204 )Ac(Huang et al. Phys Lett B 834, 137484(2022)) and ^ (207) Th(Yang et al. Phys Rev C 105, L051302(2022)) agree well with the latest experimental data. These results demonstrate that the Gaussian process is reliable for the calculations of nuclear binding energies. Finally, the α-decay properties of some unknown actinide nuclei are predicted using the Gaussian process. The predicted results can be useful guides for future research on binding energies and α-decay properties.

Analysis on the high‑quality development of nuclear energy under the goal of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality

Striving to peak carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality(known as the"Dual-Carbon"goal)is an inevitable requirement for elevating the environmental resource constraints and realizing harmonious coexistence between the mankind and the earth.In the energy system,nuclear energy offers various advantages,such as high energy density,low carbon emission,strong environmental adaptability and large potential for energy co-generation and co-supply.It is one of the supporting energy sources for the transformation and upgradation of the energy system to a clean,efficient and low-carbon way.In this paper,the opportunities and challenges for innovation-driven nuclear energy development in the fields of electricity generation,hydrogen production,heat supply and seawater desalination under the goal of"Dual-Carbon"are discussed and analyzed.Besides,the relevant research on improving the safety and economy of the pressurized water reactor(PWR)and sodium-cooled fast reactor(SFR)conducted by the Nuclear THermal-hydraulic research Lab(NuTHeL)of Xi’an Jiaotong University is briefly introduced.

Drive for Nuclear Energy

New Delhi warms to the United States in a bid to acquire nuclear technologies for energy independence and strategic influence on July 21, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton completed her five-day trip to India. The two sides reached several agree-ments during the visit. The most

Institute of Nuclear Energy Technology Tsinghua University

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Nuclear Fusion Research and Development Need New Relativistic Mass and Energy Corrections Given by the Information Relativity Theory

Hundred years after the conjecture of the British astronomer Eddington that the sun is powered by nuclear fusion of hydrogen, new physics theory may help make energy harvesting by nuclear fusion soon a reality. Researchers as well as investors funding fusion megaprojects are asked to deal with new relativistic corrections for mass and energy proposed by Suleiman in his Information Relativity Theory (IRT). These corrections were calculated in this contribution. It will help to decide whether a venture will be successful and to save big investments when in doubt. The assumed optimal kinetic energy for controlled nuclear fusion must be corrected to a somewhat higher level. At very high kinetic energy in the upper GeV range, it remains not enough baryonic mass to be transformed in energy. The fusion probability faded out to zero already at the golden limit of the recession speed of between target nucleon and projectile nucleon. Cold nuclear fusion, if ever possible, is recommended for protons rather than deuterons at highest experimental possible temperatures around 1000 (K) and needs fine-tuned kinetic nucleon energy. It would be also of interest whether a golden ratio based nuclear fuel confinement chamber could be beneficial. In this connection, also cold nuclear fusion setups should be discussed. Nature is governed by the golden ratio and criticality of physical systems influenced by it, and nuclear physics is not an exception. Computer simulations of the underlying controlled nuclear fusion processes should gain profit from IRT corrected starting information and may tackle anew possible low energy nuclear transmutations considering the wave-like dark components of matter and energy.

Nuclear Stopping and Pauli Blocking in Heavy-Ion Reactions near Fermi Energy

The dissipation phenomenon in the heavy-ion reaction at incident energy near the Fermi energy is studied by simulating the reaction ^129Xe＋^129Sn with the isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics model. The calculations involving a proper prescription of implementing the Pauli exclusion principle show that the isotropy ratio measured by free protons emitted in the reaction at energy slightly higher than the Fermi energy is in agreement with the experimental data recently released by the INDRA collaboration. A feasible value of the Pauli-blocking factor is estimated by comparing the theoretical results with the experimental data for the energy range considered here.

Towards an Ethical and Ecological Approach to Electricity Generation: A Comparative Analysis of Coal and Nuclear Power in the USA

According to the US Energy Information Administration, about 4118 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) electricity was generated at large-scale generation facilities in 2019. About 63% of this was from fossil fuels, e.g., coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases. Environmental exposure to particulates, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, arsenic, radioactive fly ash, and other pollutants are extremely detrimental to the human cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems. Such exposure increases the risk of lung cancer, stroke, heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, respiratory infections, and other illnesses. In light of the challenges associated with renewables providing large quantities of base load power, as well as other factors, the benefits offered by nuclear power should be reexamined by policy makers to move the country towards a more ecological and ethical method of electric power production. This paper offers a concise analysis of many of the salient issues, comparing electricity generation from coal plants and light water nuclear reactors.

Progressive Thermalization Fusion Reactor Able to Produce Nuclear Fusions at Higher Mechanical Gain

In the standard fusion reactors, mainly tokamaks, the mechanical gain obtained is below 1. On the other hand, there are colliding beam fusion reactors, for which, the not neutral plasma and the space charge limit the number of fusions to a very small number. Consequently, the mechanical gain is extremely low. The proposed reactor is also a colliding beam fusion reactor, configured in Stellarator, using directed beams. D+/T+ ions are injected in opposition, with electrons, at high speeds, so as to form a neutral beam. All these particles turn in a magnetic loop in form of figure of “0” (“racetrack”). The plasma is initially non-thermal but, as expected, rapidly becomes thermal, so all states between non-thermal and thermal exist in this reactor. The main advantage of this reactor is that this plasma after having been brought up near to the optimum conditions for fusion (around 68 keV), is then maintained in this state, thanks to low energy non-thermal ions (≤15 keV). So the energetic cost is low and the mechanical gain (Q) is high (>>1). The goal of this article is to study a different type of fusion reactor, its advantages (no net plasma current inside this reactor, so no disruptive instabilities and consequently a continuous working, a relatively simple way to control the reactor thanks to the particles injectors), and its drawbacks, using a simulator tool. The finding results are valuable for possible future fusion reactors able to generate massive energy in a cleaner and safer way than fission reactors.

Artificial Intelligence Driven Nuclear Power Reactors(A Technical Memorandum)

The 21st Century era and new modern technologies surrounding us day-in and day-out have opened a new door to“Pandora Box”,that we do know it as AI(artificial intelligence)and its two essential integrated components namely ML(machine learning)and DL(deep learning).However,the strive and progress in AI,ML,and DL pretty much has taken over any industry that we can think of,when it comes to dealing with cloud of structured data in form of BD(big data).A NPP(nuclear power plant)has multiple complicated dynamic system-of-components that have nonlinear behaviors.For controlling the plant operation under both normal and abnormal conditions,the different systems in NPPs(e.g.,the reactor core components,primary and secondary coolant systems)are usually monitored continuously,which leads to very huge amounts of data.Of course Nuclear Power Industry in form of GEN-IV(Generation IV)has not been left behind in this 21st century era by moving out of GEN-III(Generation III)to more modulars form of GEN-IV,known as SMRs(small modular reactors),with a lot of electronic gadgets and electronics that read data and information from it to support safety of these reactor,while in operation with a built in PRA(probabilistic risk assessment),which requires augmentation of AI in them to enhance performance of human operators that are engaged with day-to-day smooth operation of these reactors to make them safe and safer as well as resilience against any natural or man-made disasters by obtaining information through ML from DL that is collecting massive stream of data coming via omni-direction.Integration of AI with HI(human intelligence)is not separable,when it comes to operation of these smart SMRs with state of the art and smart control rooms with human in them as actors.This TM(technical memorandum)is describing the necessity of AI playing with nuclear reactor power plant of GEN-IV being in operation within near term sooner than later,when specially we are facing today’s cyber-attacks with their smart malware agents at work.

Economics of Small Modular Reactors: Will They MakeNuclear Power More Competitive?

Looking at the historical evolution of commercial use of nuclear power,the long-term trend so far has been to increase the size of the reactors to maintain their economic competitiveness through economies of scale.However,over the last five years,advanced reactor concepts,among which the SMRs(Small Modular Reactors),have progressed faster than anyone predicted ten years ago.It is likely that several FOAK(First of a kind)SMRs will be constructed and start operation over the next ten years,and a global supply chain will be developed to support them.Benefitting from their architecture and the overall system simplification,SMRs could become one of the main drivers of deep decarbonisation of the global economy,an enabler of large-scale hydrogen economy,a solution for allowing growth of energy consumption in the developing world without relying on fossil fuels,a means to replace the heat source of hundreds of coal power plants around the globe.The article analyses the main economic drivers to override the diseconomy of scale of SMRs-modularisation and factory build,design simplification,standardisation,and industrial and regulatory harmonisation-and discusses the advantages and challenges of different SMR designs in unlocking those drivers.Some publicly available studies on SMR CAPEX,OPEX and LCOE are reviewed to demonstrate the values the different vendors and developers are targeting to make SMRs competitive not only with respect to large nuclear reactors but also to other means of electricity and heat generation.