scholarly journals Nuclear’s Model T

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (07) ◽  
pp. 36-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig F. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Economic Performance ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economy Of Scale ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Alternative Sources ◽  
A Site ◽  
Central Station ◽  
Broad Interest

This article discusses that the future of nuclear energy could lie in plants that can be factory built, shipped to a site, and operated 30 years without refueling. The scope and timing •of the “nuclear renaissance,” however, remain somewhat uncertain. All that is known is that in countries around the globe, including the United States, significant numbers of new nuclear energy projects are under way or in various stages of planning, and this activity represents a departure from that of recent decades. The broad interest in developing new small reactor system concepts seems to be in conflict with the trend toward ever-larger central station power plants, which is driven by the principle of economy of scale. The Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor (STAR) concept and the Small Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor (SSTAR) reactor in particular provide good examples of additional design features that could make the introduction of such reactors more readily accepted while offering the potential for economic performance that makes sense in comparison to other alternative sources of energy.

scholarly journals An innovative method for creating and using nanoparticles for gas extraction from gas hydrates

2019 ◽  
Vol 123 ◽  
pp. 01003
Author(s):  
Volodymyr Bondarenko ◽  
Olena Svietkina ◽  
Kostiantyn Prokopenko ◽  
Baochang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Gas Hydrates ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Investment Climate ◽  
Scientific Institutions ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Legislative Support ◽  
Alternative Sources

The growth of prices for traditional energy sources prompts Ukraine to seek new approaches to solving energy problems. Today, the country has intensified its work in this direction, in particular, legislative support is being developed and improved, and the investment climate for alternative energy projects is improving. In many countries of the world, it has long been understood how serious and necessary is the development of alternative energy. At present, in the face of various gas contradictions and unstable oil prices, the need for energy carriers is constantly increasing, which makes it necessary to seek the latest solutions to the energy problem. Many leading countries in the world are engaged in the search for alternative sources of energy, one of which is natural gas hydrates. This relatively new resource offers great opportunities both for economic growth and stability of states, and for the development of scientific institutions in this field. Flagships in the study and development of gas-hydrated deposits are the United States, China, Japan and Canada. Along with them should be noted the achievements of scientists in India, EU countries, Ukraine, Russia and Bulgaria.

Diagnostics and Prognostics for Safe and Secure Operation of Small Modular Reactors

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pradeep Ramuhalli ◽  
Ryan Meyer ◽  
Leonard Bond
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Modular Design ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Economy Of Scale ◽  
Small Modular Reactors ◽  
Active Safety Systems ◽  
Safety Systems

Sustainable nuclear power to promote energy security is a key national energy priority. The development of small modular reactors (SMRs) is expected to provide the United States with an economically viable energy option that supports this priority. Small modular reactors (SMR) are typically defined as nuclear reactors that have electrical output less than about 300 MWe [1]. In recent years, SMRs are seeing renewed interest due to several factors: 1. Economy of scale. Modular or grid-appropriate reactors can be used to expand power plants to meet needs [2], resulting in potential economies of scale that larger reactors cannot easily provide. 2. Ease of fabrication/construction. The forging capabilities for the smaller reactor pressure vessels and piping necessary for SMRs are more readily available. This also enables potentially faster and easier construction of SMRs. 3. Usually grid-following. SMRs can ramp up or down production of electricity as needed as the modular design allows for better control of grid-appropriate reactors. 4. Improved safety characteristics. Most current SMR designs rely on passive rather than active safety systems.

Africa and the Nuclear World: Labor, Occupational Health, and the Transnational Production of Uranium

2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 896-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Hecht
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Nuclear Proliferation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Industry ◽  
Internal Radiation ◽  
Government Report

What is Africa's place in the nuclear world? In 1995, a U.S. government report on nuclear proliferation did not mark Gabon, Niger, or Namibia as having any “nuclear activities.” Yet these same nations accounted for over 25 percent of world uranium production that year, and helped fuel nuclear power plants in Europe, the United States, and Japan. Experts had long noted that workers in uranium mines were “exposed to higher amounts of internal radiation than … workers in any other segment of the nuclear energy industry.” What, then, does it mean for a workplace, a technology, or a nation to be “nuclear?” What is at stake in that label, and how do such stakes vary by time and place?

Quantifying the Metrics That Characterize Safety Culture of Three Engineered Systems

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Tucker ◽  
Mary Ernesti ◽  
Akira Tokuhiro
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Safety Culture ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Engineering System ◽  
Scale Analysis ◽  
Perception Of Risk ◽  
Engineered Systems

With potential energy shortages and increasing electricity demand, the nuclear energy option is being reconsidered in the United States. Public opinion will have a considerable voice in policy decisions that will “roadmap” the future of nuclear energy in this country. This report is an extension of the last author’s work on the “safety culture” associated with three engineered systems (automobiles, commercial airplanes, and nuclear power plants) in Japan and the United States. Safety culture, in brief is defined as a specifically developed culture based on societal and individual interpretations of the balance of real, perceived, and imagined risks versus the benefits drawn from utilizing a given engineered systems. The method of analysis is a modified scale analysis, with two fundamental eigenmetrics, time- (τ) and number-scales (N) that describe both engineered systems and human factors. The scale analysis approach is appropriate because human perception of risk, perception of benefit and level of (technological) acceptance are inherently subjective, therefore “fuzzy” and rarely quantifiable in exact magnitude. Perception of risk, expressed in terms of the psychometric factors “dread risk” and “unknown risk”, contains both time- and number-scale elements. Various engineering system accidents with fatalities, reported by mass media are characterized by τ and N, and are presented in this work using the scale analysis method. We contend that level of acceptance infers a perception of benefit at least two orders larger magnitude than perception of risk. The “amplification” influence of mass media is also deduced as being 100- to 1000-fold the actual number of fatalities/serious injuries in a nuclear-related accident.

The Benefits of Recycling for the Future of Nuclear Energy

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Domestic Energy

Robust increases in energy demand, improvements in the performance of existing nuclear power plants, renewed interest in assuring domestic energy supply and concern about climate change have recently provided powerful arguments for renewing and further expanding the use of nuclear energy in the United States.

Innovation in Nuclear Power

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F Stenger ◽  
Amy C Roma ◽  
Sachin Desai
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nuclear Technology ◽  
Light Water Reactors ◽  
Electric Generation ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Transmission And Distribution ◽  
Carbon Gases

Next-generation nuclear technologies represent a change to how nuclear power plants are designedand the crucial role nuclear power can play in the world’s future energy mix. The authors examine the current regulatory framework for nuclear power in the United States, the birthplace of nuclear energy. That framework was shaped by concerns over release of nuclear secrets to hostile nations, focus on a single technology in light-water reactors, recognition that nuclear electric generation would be handled in the realm of monopoly control of generation, transmission, and distribution of the electricity produced, and a limited appreciation of the contribution of nuclear power to current goals of control of release of carbon gases and need to emphasize sustainability in energy supply. Recent bold innovations in nuclear technology, and legal impediments to their development, are identified. The authors identify helpful steps to make the law receptive to the new needs and technologies.

The Federal Government’s Role in Enabling the Nuclear Renaissance and a Low-Carbon Energy Future

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Hanson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Loan Guarantees

The electric power industry in the United States will face a number of great challenges in the next two decades, including increasing electricity demand and the aging of the current fleet of power plants. These challenges present a major test for the industry, which must invest between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion by 2030 to meet the increased demand. In addition to these challenges, the potential for climate legislation, controversy over hydraulic fracturing, and post-Fukushima safety concerns have all resulted in significant uncertainty regarding the economics of all major sources of base-load electricity. Currently nuclear power produces 22% of the nation’s electricity, and over 70% of the nation’s low-carbon electricity, even though unfavorable economic conditions have stalled construction of new reactors for over 30 years. The economics are changing, however, as evidenced by the recent construction and operating licenses (COLs) awarded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to Southern Company and SCANA Corporation to build two new units each. The successful construction of these units could lead to more favorable financing for future plants. This improved financing, especially if combined with appropriate additional government support, could provide serious momentum for the resurgence of nuclear power in the United States. The most important way in which government support could benefit nuclear power is by increasing the amount of loan guarantees provided to the first wave of new nuclear power plants. This will help encourage additional new builds, which will help reduce the financing risk premium for new nuclear and improve interest rates for future plants. Instead of simply increasing loan guarantees for nuclear energy, a permanent federal financing structure should be established to provide loan guarantees for “clean energy” technologies in general, a category in which nuclear energy should be included. Most importantly, any changes should be made as part of a coherent, long-term energy policy, which would provide utilities with the correct tools to make the necessary investments, and the confidence that will allow them to undertake large-scale projects.

Renewable Energy on Tribal Lands: A Feasibility Study for a Biomass-to-Energy Plant on the Cocopah Reservation in Arizona

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Lauren K. D’Souza ◽  
William L. Ascher ◽  
Tanja Srebotnjak
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
The United States ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Energy Plant ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Alternative Investment

Native American reservations are among the most economically disadvantaged regions in the United States; lacking access to economic and educational opportunities that are exacerbated by “energy insecurity” due to insufficient connectivity to the electric grid and power outages. Local renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and biomass offer energy alternatives but their implementation encounters barriers such as lack of financing, infrastructure, and expertise, as well as divergent attitudes among tribal leaders. Biomass, in particular, could be a source of stable base-load power that is abundant and scalable in many rural communities. This case study examines the feasibility of a biomass energy plant on the Cocopah reservation in southwestern Arizona. It considers feedstock availability, cost and energy content, technology options, nameplate capacity, discount and interest rates, construction, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, and alternative investment options. This study finds that at current electricity prices and based on typical costs for fuel, O&M over 30 years, none of the tested scenarios is presently cost-effective on a net present value (NPV) basis when compared with an alternative investment yielding annual returns of 3% or higher. The technology most likely to be economically viable and suitable for remote, rural contexts—a combustion stoker—resulted in a levelized costs of energy (LCOE) ranging from US$0.056 to 0.147/kWh. The most favorable scenario is a combustion stoker with an estimated NPV of US$4,791,243. The NPV of the corresponding alternative investment is US$7,123,380. However, if the tribes were able to secure a zero-interest loan to finance the plant’s installation cost, the project would be on par with the alternative investment. Even if this were the case, the scenario still relies on some of the most optimistic assumptions for the biomass-to-power plant and excludes abatement costs for air emissions. The study thus concludes that at present small-scale, biomass-to-energy projects require a mix of favorable market and local conditions as well as appropriate policy support to make biomass energy projects a cost-competitive source of stable, alternative energy for remote rural tribal communities that can provide greater tribal sovereignty and economic opportunities.

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