Andrew Deme’s Post

Here are six Bulletin nuclear stories that marked 2023—and that you should read. The nuclear year in review: A renewed interest in nuclear weapons—for and against ⬇️ https://bit.ly/41AFWbN

Nuclear-powered cargo ships are trying to stage a comeback. Nuclear power is particularly suitable for vessels that need to be at sea for long periods without refuelling. Over 160 ships are powered by more than 200 small nuclear reactors. Read more: https://lnkd.in/euNZxKTA #NuclearPoweredCargoShips #DecarbonizingShipping #SustainableShipping #NuclearPower #ShippingIndustry

🌐 Nuclear is back! At WNE 2023, we immersed ourselves in the dynamic discussions shaping the future of the civil nuclear industry. The 2023 edition was not just an event; it was a testament to the industry's reinvigorated passion. During our inaugural ceremony, Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of International Energy Agency (IEA), shared his insights into the newfound momentum in the civil nuclear sector: - Energy security - Environment - Competitiveness With a bright future ahead, there has never been a more compelling time to embrace the possibilities within the civil nuclear industry. Join us on this transformative journey and delve deeper into the world of WNE, the largest trade show in the industry.  To see Fatih Birol’s full intervention, click here : https://lnkd.in/dRM7d8kr Follow us for more updates and be part of the nuclear renaissance! #CivilNuclear #WNE #WNE2023 #NuclearPower #CivilNuclearIndustry #energy

The US led the world in nuclear technology because the US government supported it. The industry won't--can't--revive without the USG rebuilding the nuclear-industrial complex, as Jonathan Ford makes clear: "To build 200 gigawatts of nuclear by 2050, the US needs to start switching on new reactors by the early 2030s, with a sufficient pipeline to break through the 'first of a kind' barrier and start driving down costs. Given the lead times involved, it is hard to see how this can be done without Westinghouse Electric Company — the one US company with a proven type available on the market. (The only realistic alternatives are EDF of France, which is redesigning its EPR reactor, and AECL of Canada, which has never sold a plant in the US.) But critically, it also requires Washington’s direct participation. 'All capital providers agree that the government would need to play a significant role for nuclear to take off in the next 10 years,” notes the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report.'" #nuclear #netzero #westinghouse #climate

On the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of #Hiroshima, ask these 9 nuclear governments to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of #NuclearWeapons and completely eliminate all nuclear weapons from the earth https://buff.ly/44VmAPC #nuclearban #Hiroshima78

An interesting IEEE Spectrum article about the possibility of a new generation of nuclear cargo ships: https://lnkd.in/dH2r4sip It is a good question: does it make sense to have nuclear reactors traveling on all the seas? I must confess I don't have an answer. The photo represents Sevmorput, the only such vessel to remain in service today.

Is there more research to be done on Nuclear steam cycles? The Dresden 1 unit near Chicago (1960-1978) had a rather unusual steam cycle for improved load-following capability. It was a BWR with a separate drum (1000 psi/69 bara), where the remaining water phase was utilized to produce steam at 500 psi in a separate steam generator. In addition to the "extra" steam at 500 psi, the system offered feed water temperature control (hence reactor power control). There is probably a very good reason for this being one of a kind solution (feel free to shed light on this) ... One could argue that this coupling lowers the average temperature for heat addition :-) We have, in Sweden, a nuclear renaissance, and the time might be right for looking into the fundamentals of nuclear steam cycles - or?