reactors

By U.S. Department of Energy January 22, 2024Schematic of fast ions (black spirals) interacting with plasma waves (color) in a fusion experiment. Credit: Steve Allen (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) and adapted by Mike Van Zeeland (General Atomics)Fast ions and plasma waves in fusion reactors engage in a complex dance of energy transfer, with resonance and collision impacts playing significant roles. This understanding is vital for sustaining optimal plasma temperatures and advancing fusion energy technology.Just…

Many of these so-called advanced technologies were invented and even demonstrated over 50 years ago, before the industry converged on the standard water-cooled plant designs. But now there’s renewed interest in getting alternative nuclear reactors up and running. New designs could help improve safety, efficiency, and even cost.  Coolant Alternative coolants can improve on safety over water-based designs, since they don’t always need to be kept at high pressures. Many can also reach higher temperatures, which can allow…

Too Long; Didn't ReadSmall modular nuclear reactors mining bitcoins for localities around the world could be the fastest path toward an energy transition. Bitcoin mining does not need the energy to be transmitted to any place, nor have it stored for later use, key challenges with scaling renewable energy technologies today. Small modular reactors are easier to build on an industrial scale, just like smartphones. Too Long; Didn't ReadSmall modular nuclear reactors mining bitcoins for localities around the world could be…

As the question of how to make a laser fusion reactor practical rises, scientists at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) have come up with a way for fusion lasers to essentially manufacture their own fuel pellets.In December 2022, scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California made a breakthrough that was six decades in the making as an experimental reactor using a bank of 192 high-energy lasers focused on a single point struck a…

British aerospace giant Rolls-Royce said Friday it had secured UK funding to develop small nuclear reactors that could provide power on the Moon.Rolls said the UK Space Agency had offered it £2.9 million ($3.5 million) to help research "how nuclear power could be used to support a future Moon base for astronauts". "Scientists and engineers at Rolls-Royce are working on the micro-reactor programme to develop technology that will provide power needed for humans to live and work on the Moon," the aerospace company added in…

Graphical abstract. Credit: Applied Energy (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119460 Nuclear and hydrogen could be the ideal fuel for recharging electric trucks, opening potential markets for developers of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). That's according to a University of Michigan study.…

Work, conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and featured in Nature Physics, shows that ions behave differently in fusion reactions than previously expected. Credit: John Jett and Jake Long/LLNLResearchers discover that ions behave differently in fusion reactions.Ions behave differently in fusion reactions than previously expected, according to new findings by scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This discovery provides crucial insights for the future design of a laser­–fusion energy…

PARIS— EDF SA EDF -0.08% warned of lower power generation this year across its nuclear reactors in France, dealing a setback to the country’s efforts to ride out Europe’s energy crisis amid a spell of unseasonably warm weather. EDF, the world’s largest owner of nuclear plants, said its French fleet of reactors are expected to produce between 275 and 285 terawatt-hours of energy in 2022, compared with a previous estimate of between 280…

Lakes at high latitudes act as "reactors" or "chimneys" for carbon dioxide emission, Dirk Verheijen shows in his thesis defended at Umeå University, Sweden. Credit: Karl Heuchel Many lakes are found at high-latitudes in arctic areas. As they receive and process terrestrial organic carbon, these lakes link terrestrial and aquatic carbon cycles, while emitting CO2 to the atmosphere. Yet, their remote location and long winter…

PARIS— EDF SA, EDF -0.38% France’s state-controlled power company, said a rash of outages in its fleet of nuclear reactors is expected to wipe about $29 billion off its pretax earnings this year, a sign of the turmoil at one of Europe’s most important electricity producers as the continent confronts a cutoff of Russian natural-gas supplies. EDF has shut down 12 of its 56 nuclear reactors because of corrosion discovered on pipes that cool the reactor cores. The company,…