Researchers studying 4th generation nuclear reactors
April 17, 2013 | By
Barbara Vergetis Lundin
Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology are tracking and measuring the movement of radioisotopes to develop sophisticated new standards for the next generation of nuclear reactors. Missouri S&T is developing new approaches to understanding how nuclear fuel pebbles would behave in what are called "fourth generation" pebble-bed nuclear reactors. These reactors would house uranium fuel in spheres the size of tennis balls (the "pebbles") rather than rods, and the cores would cooled by helium gas instead of water. These reactors are considered to be more efficient than water-cooled reactors and would operate at much higher temperatures. "These techniques can show us what is going on inside the reactor and can be used to eliminate a lot of experimental work," Dr. Muthanna Al-Dahhan, chair and professor of chemical and biochemical engineering and professor of nuclear engineering said. "All of this is related to the design, operation, risk assessment and analysis of future pebble-bed reactors." Computer-simulated visualizations could help engineers plan future nuclear reactors. Using "gamma ray chromatography," researchers can view what is going on inside a reactor core, in much the same way that a physician uses ultrasound equipment to view movement within the human body. Using these techniques could help the nuclear industry set benchmarks for determining how to build fourth-generation reactors, as well as set benchmarks for other energy-related projects, such as the design of coal gasification plants, bioenergy processes or more conventional nuclear plants. For more: © 2013 FierceMarkets. All rights reserved. http://www.fierceenergy.com |