Feature Channels: Nuclear Power

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Released: 25-Aug-2015 5:05 PM EDT
Cellular Contamination Pathway for Plutonium, Other Heavy Elements, Identified
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have reported a major advance in understanding the biological chemistry of radioactive metals, opening up new avenues of research into strategies for remedial action in the event of possible human exposure to nuclear contaminants.

Released: 16-Jun-2015 6:05 AM EDT
Going Back to Californium: A Changing View of Covalency
Department of Energy, Office of Science

Challenging previously held views, scientific results show that californium can covalently bond with borate, dramatically altering the electronic characteristics of the californium ion. This research may show how to further optimize nuclear reactor fuel processes.

Released: 3-Jun-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Physicists Eager for New, High-Energy LHC Run
University of Massachusetts Amherst

When experiments at the Large Hadron Collider collect the first 13-teraelectronvolt particle collisions data today, a long wait will be over for physicists who now begin some of the most exciting years of their careers searching for new particles, extra dimensions and the nature of dark matter.

Released: 27-Apr-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Trending Stories Report for 27 April 2015
Newswise Trends

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: Bruce Jenner and transgender health, agriculture and pesticide alternatives, new tick-borne disease, internal dissent in Iran over nuclear deal, listeria ice cream recalls, changing mammography recommendations, immunology, materials science, and healthcare education.

       
Released: 24-Mar-2015 9:05 AM EDT
Soils Retain and Contain Radioactivity in Fukushima
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Lead researcher Atsushi Nakao’s study is the first to investigate the soil’s physical and chemical properties in rice fields around the Fukushima site. The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Quality, examined factors affecting soil-to-plant transfer of radioactive cesium (radiocesium) in the Fukushima area.

Released: 17-Mar-2015 4:05 PM EDT
ORNL and Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics Cooperate on Development of Salt-Cooled Reactors
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Representatives from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics are meeting at ORNL this week as part of an agreement between the two institutions to work together on the advancement of salt-cooled nuclear reactor technologies.

15-Jan-2015 7:30 AM EST
RHIC Physics Feeds Future High-Tech Workforce: Ágnes Mócsy
Brookhaven National Laboratory

Ágnes Mócsy, a theoretical physicist and tenured associate professor at Pratt Institute, one of the world’s prestigious art and design universities, hopes to convey the sense of awe she experienced seeing Brookhaven Lab's particle collider to the art students she teaches in physics and astronomy classes for non-physics majors.

Released: 31-Dec-2014 1:05 PM EST
Reaping Radioisotopes
Department of Energy, Office of Science

Researchers designed a way to harvest several long-lived radioisotopes; such harvesting could supply isotopes for which there is limited or no other source.

Released: 14-Dec-2014 8:00 PM EST
Nuclear Should Be in the Energy Mix for Biodiversity
University of Adelaide

Leading conservation scientists from around the world have called for a substantial role for nuclear power in future energy-generating scenarios in order to mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity.

Released: 14-Nov-2014 11:10 AM EST
Oak Ridge to Acquire Next Generation Supercomputer
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility has signed a contract with IBM to bring a next-generation supercomputer to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Released: 4-Nov-2014 10:00 AM EST
Radiation a Risk Factor for Brain TumorsIn Young People, Loyola Study Finds
Loyola Medicine

In people under age 30, radiation is a risk factor for a type of brain tumor called a meningioma, a Loyola University Medical Center study has found.

28-Oct-2014 10:00 AM EDT
Nuclear Waste Viewed in New Light
AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing

Britain’s nuclear reactors, stainless steel drums, contain metal-clad spent uranium embedded in concrete, and they are highly radioactive. The only way to handle them safely is from behind 2-to-3-meter-thick concrete walls and leaded glass windows using automated equipment. Yet a very small number of these drums have begun to bulge after many years in storage, raising questions about what is happening within. The only way to know for sure is to sneak a peek inside.

Released: 30-Oct-2014 4:00 PM EDT
Uranium-Extracting Technology for Seawater Earns Research Award for Grad Student
University of Chicago

Scientists have long known that seawater contains small concentrations of valuable metals, but a technologically feasible extraction method has remained elusive. The University of Chicago’s Carter Abney has been developing materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to help address the problem.

Released: 10-Oct-2014 11:30 AM EDT
Nuclear Reactor Expert Discusses Ways to Prevent Fukushima-Like Damage with Scientists in Japan
Virginia Tech

Alireza Haghighat, a professor with the Nuclear Engineering Program at Virginia Tech, discussed research related to the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex with scientists in Japan.

Released: 8-Oct-2014 3:00 PM EDT
RTI International and ScottMadden Assist Bruce Power in Developing the Nuclear Industry’s Leading Emergency Response Program
RTI International

In the aftermath of Fukushima, RTI International and ScottMadden, Inc., one of North America's leading energy consulting firms, partnered to deploy a nuclear industry–leading emergency response program.

Released: 12-Sep-2014 4:00 PM EDT
Virginia Tech Thought Leader Considers Global Response Plan for Nuclear Mishaps
Virginia Tech

A nuclear accident has no respect for lines drawn on a map. It becomes the world's problem. But for the most part, emphasis has been on prevention, not response. Until now.

Released: 11-Sep-2014 3:00 PM EDT
High Flux Isotope Reactor Named Nuclear Historic Landmark
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIR, has been designated a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society.

Released: 11-Aug-2014 10:00 PM EDT
Neutrino Detectors Could Help Detect Nuclear Weapons
Virginia Tech

Scientists at Virginia Tech believe neutrinos could be used to monitor nuclear power plants for signs of nuclear proliferation.

Released: 6-Aug-2014 2:00 PM EDT
Study May Help Explain Link Between Uranium Exposure and Skin Cancer
Northern Arizona University

The varying health risks from exposure to natural uranium are well established, but Diane Stearns, professor of biochemistry at Northern Arizona University, and her team have identified a new target organ for uranium exposure: skin.

Released: 5-Aug-2014 12:00 PM EDT
Story Tips from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, August 2014
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

1) Glass used for military vehicle windshields is being put to the test. 2) Tomorrow’s commercial refrigeration systems could be cooled by carbon dioxide. 3) Graphite put to the test . 4) Reformulated plant matter could be at the roots of a revolution in 3-D printing. 5) Batteries for cars, phones, and laptop computers could retain their charge and last longer.

Released: 22-Jul-2014 5:20 PM EDT
Sandia Ensures US Nuclear Weapons Deterrent Can Remain Effective, Credible
Sandia National Laboratories

As part of its mission of ensuring the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, secure and effective as a deterrent, Sandia National Laboratories must make sure crucial parts can function if they’re hit by radiation, especially a type called fast neutrons. It created a project called QASPR to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the non-nuclear components in U.S. weapons systems.

Released: 21-Jul-2014 12:00 PM EDT
A Noble Gas Cage
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A new material called CC3 effectively traps xenon, krypton, and radon, gases used for lighting or medical industries and, in the case of radon, can be hazardous to people. Research in Nature Materials shows how CC3 does this, which might lead to cheaper, less energy intensive extraction methods.

Released: 17-Jul-2014 4:00 PM EDT
IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Society Merit Award Honors Sandia Radiation Effects Expert
Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia radiation effects researcher Jim Schwank has won the 2014 IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society Merit Award, which recognizes outstanding technical contributions to the fields of nuclear and plasma sciences.

Released: 2-May-2014 2:00 PM EDT
Story Tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, May 2014
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

1) Reducing soot. 2) Hydropower. 3) Understanding driver behavior. 4) A performance record in high-temperature superconducting wires.

Released: 21-Apr-2014 10:00 AM EDT
Computer-Assisted Accelerator Design
Brookhaven National Laboratory

Accelerator physicist Stephen Brooks uses custom designed software to create a 3-D virtual model of the electron accelerator Brookhaven physicists hope to build inside the tunnel currently housing the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).

Released: 16-Apr-2014 3:00 PM EDT
ORNL’s John Wagner Receives E.O. Lawrence Award
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORNL researcher John Wagner has been named a 2013 recipient of the Department of Energy’s Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award for his work in advancing computer, information and knowledge sciences.

14-Apr-2014 8:00 AM EDT
Sensitive Detection Method May Help Impede Illicit Nuclear Trafficking
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

According to a new study in the Journal of Applied Physics, coupling commercially available spectral X-ray detectors with a specialized algorithm can improve the detection of uranium and plutonium in small, layered objects such as baggage. This approach may provide a new tool to impede nuclear trafficking.

Released: 19-Mar-2014 10:00 AM EDT
Magnetic Behavior Discovery Could Advance Nuclear Fusion
University of Michigan

Inspired by the space physics behind solar flares and the aurora, a team of researchers from the University of Michigan and Princeton has uncovered a new kind of magnetic behavior that could help make nuclear fusion reactions easier to start.

3-Mar-2014 8:00 AM EST
Shale Could Be Long-Term Home for Problematic Nuclear Waste
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Shale, the source of the United States’ current natural gas boom, could help solve another energy problem: what to do with radioactive waste from nuclear power plants. The unique properties of the sedimentary rock and related clay-rich rocks make it ideal for storing the potentially dangerous spent fuel for millennia, according to a geologist studying possible storage sites. He presented his research today at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Released: 19-Feb-2014 9:55 AM EST
Dartmouth Researchers Evaluate Technology Available to Attend to Mass Casualties in Nuclear Disaster
Norris Cotton Cancer Center Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

(Lebanon, NH 2/18/14) —How would a city, state, or country handle a disaster in which hundreds of thousands of people were exposed to radiation? When the number of people involved exceeds the capacity of nearby hospitals, how would a community know who to treat? In a new scientific review published on February 12, 2014 in Radiation Environmental Biophysics, Dartmouth researchers say that by examining a person’s teeth or fingernails with specialized equipment, it is possible for first responders to estimate radiation exposure and identify those with the highest risk of illness. The review makes the case for field-based equipment that can easily and quickly allow first responders to decide who needs treatment for radiation exposure in a large-scale event such as major nuclear power plant malfunction or terrorism.

Released: 18-Feb-2014 1:00 PM EST
CASL, Westinghouse Simulate Neutron Behavior in AP1000® Reactor Core
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Scientists and engineers developing more accurate approaches to analyzing nuclear power reactors have successfully tested a new suite of computer codes that closely model “neutronics” — the behavior of neutrons in a reactor core.

Released: 24-Jan-2014 11:15 AM EST
European Scholars Find Prior Experience Heightens Perceptions of Disaster Risks
Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)

Changes in risk perception about hurricanes and nuclear energy also explored in "Risk Analysis."

Released: 9-Jan-2014 11:00 AM EST
Fusion Instabilities Lessened by Unexpected Effect
Sandia National Laboratories

Introduction of relatively weak magnetic fields into Sandia's Z machine unexpectedly lessened plasma instabilities that have sunk previous fusion efforts.

Released: 16-Dec-2013 10:00 AM EST
Chemist Leads Supercomputer Effort to Aid Nuclear Understanding
University of Alabama

Two of the nation’s fastest supercomputers will aid a research team, led by a computational chemist, in guiding both the development of new nuclear fuels and clean-up efforts from past nuclear fuel and weapon production.

Released: 11-Dec-2013 3:00 PM EST
APS Report: U.S. Risks Losing Critical Clean Electricity if Nuclear Power Plants Keep Closing at Steady Pace
American Physical Society (APS)

Four nuclear power plants, sources of low-emissions electricity, have announced closings this year. If plants continue to shut down instead of extending operations the nation risks losing 60 percent of its clean electricity starting in 2030, according to a new report, Renewing Licenses for the Nation’s Nuclear Power Plant by the American Physical Society.

24-Oct-2013 12:00 PM EDT
Safer Nuclear Fuels
AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing

Presentation at AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif. describes new uranium pellets with degradation-resistant cladding for enhanced safety

Released: 30-Sep-2013 7:00 PM EDT
Study Provides Insight into Combined Radiation Injury from Nuclear Disaster
Loyola Medicine

A nuclear bomb or nuclear reactor accident can produce a deadly combination of radiation exposure and injuries such as burns and trauma. Now the first study of its kind in 50 years is providing new insights into combined radiation injury.

Released: 19-Sep-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Study Could Help Improve Nuclear Waste Repositories
Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Laboratories researchers are studying the movement of iodine-129 from spent nuclear fuel through a deep, clay-based geological repository. Understanding the process is crucial as countries worldwide consider underground clay formations for nuclear waste disposal.

Released: 7-Aug-2013 10:00 AM EDT
Getting to the Core of Fukushima
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Critical to the recovery efforts following the devastating effects of the 2011 tsunami on Japan’s Fukushima reactor is the ability to assess damage within the reactor’s core. A study in the journal AIP Advances by a team of scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) shows that muon imaging may offer the best hope of assessing damage to the reactor cores and locating the melted fuel.

Released: 10-Jul-2013 3:25 PM EDT
CASL Milestone Validates Reactor Model Using TVA Data
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Today, the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) announced that its scientists have successfully completed the first full-scale simulation of an operating nuclear reactor. CASL is modeling nuclear reactors on supercomputers to help researchers better understand reactor performance with much higher reliability than previously available methods, with the goal of ultimately increasing power output, extending reactor life, and reducing waste.

Released: 3-Jun-2013 4:30 PM EDT
Fukushima-Derived Radioactivity in Seafood Poses Minimal Health Risk, Experts Say
Stony Brook University

In 2012, Nicholas Fisher a distinguished professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University and postdoctoral scholar Zosia Baumann, working with a colleague at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station, reported that they had detected radioactivity in Pacific bluefin tuna swimming off the California coast. The source of the radioactivity was Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi powerplants, which were damaged by the strong earthquake and subsequent tsunami on 11 March 2011 and released large quantities of radioactivity into the Pacific Ocean. The news prompted widespread media interest and speculation as to the possible risks to seafood consumers posed by the levels of radioactivity found in the tuna.

Released: 11-Mar-2013 10:00 AM EDT
Fukushima, Two Years Later
University of South Carolina

Two years have passed since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which followed the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. One of the world’s foremost experts on the consequences of Fukushima as well as 1986’s Chernobyl disaster is biologist Tim Mousseau of the University of South Carolina’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Released: 10-Dec-2012 1:40 PM EST
How the First Chain Reaction Changed Science
University of Chicago

The Atomic Age began at 3:25 p.m. on Dec. 2, 1942—quietly, in secrecy, on a squash court under the west stands of old Stagg Field at the University of Chicago.

Released: 13-Nov-2012 12:55 PM EST
Even Low-Level Radioactivity Is Damaging
University of South Carolina

Even the very lowest levels of radiation are harmful to life, scientists have concluded in the Cambridge Philosophical Society’s journal Biological Reviews. Reporting the results of a wide-ranging analysis of 46 peer-reviewed studies published over the past 40 years, researchers from the University of South Carolina and the University of Paris-Sud found that variation in low-level, natural background radiation had small, but highly statistically significant, negative effects on DNA as well as several measures of health.

18-Oct-2012 10:00 AM EDT
Self-Powered Sensors to Monitor Nuclear Fuel Rod Status
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

Japan’s Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear disaster that occurred in 2011 -- a result of the strongest earthquake on record in the country and the powerful tsunami waves it triggered -- underscored the need for a method to monitor the status of nuclear fuel rods that doesn’t rely on electrical power.

9-Aug-2012 7:45 PM EDT
Studies Examine Health Consequences of Meltdown, Damage to Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants in Japan
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

The results of two studies in the August 15 issue of JAMA report on the psychological status of workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan several months after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and the amount of internal radiation exposure among residents of a city north of the power plant that experienced a meltdown.

Released: 29-Jun-2012 6:00 AM EDT
Colorful Light at the End of the Tunnel for Radiation Detection
Sandia National Laboratories

A team of nanomaterials researchers at Sandia National Laboratories has developed a new technique for radiation detection that could make radiation detection in cargo and baggage more effective and less costly for homeland security inspectors.



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