International Nuclear Watch & Discussion

"Following an attack, Iran could quickly rebuild its centrifuge program in small, easily hidden facilities focused on making weapon-grade uranium for nuclear weapons," said principal author David Albright, ISIS president and a former U.N. weapons inspector.

The Nuclear Expert Who Never Was

It is high time the mainstream media began dealing with David Albright for what he is (a third-rate reporter and analyst), and what he isn’t (a former U.N. weapons inspector, doctor, nuclear physicist or nuclear expert).

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 08 Aug 2008 22:22

Uranium spill at Japan fuel plant, no injury

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 09 Aug 2008 02:38

Swiss engineers to remain in jail over nuclear probe

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 09 Aug 2008 02:41

AECL rapped for touting design

The government agency charged with selecting reactor designs for a new nuclear plant at Darlington has warned Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. against publicly touting its Candu technology as the best choice for the province.

AECL, leading a group of partners called Team Candu, is competing against France's Areva NP and U.S. giant Westinghouse Electric to supply between two and four reactors to Ontario.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 09 Aug 2008 19:11

Nagasaki commemorates anniversary of nuclear attack

Taue also urged India to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) amid growing concerns over its atomic deal with the United States.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Aug 2008 01:15

The Radioactive Energy Plan

Germans were once dead set against nuclear energy. But high energy costs are forcing them to rethink

Now that Germans are pinching euros to pay their surging electricity bills, more of them have decided it makes no sense to shut off the source of 25 percent of their power

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Aug 2008 02:11

Syria bars repeat visit by UN nuclear experts

Sanatanan · Post by **Sanatanan** » 10 Aug 2008 10:47

Sanatanan wrote:
Gerard wrote:Duke halts MOX testing at Catawba Nuclear Station
From the article linked above:

The problem was that alloy "guide tubes" in the MOX assemblies, in which control rods are inserted to shut down the reactor, grew in length. It's not unusual for metals to expand in the intense heat of a nuclear reactor. But these grew more than expected.
So it seems to me that the problem was not with the MOX fuel itself or its cladding material but with the control rod guide tubes which are close to the fuel rods. The material used for the guide tube is not mentioned in the report; I guess it could be it is stainless steel.

Perhaps this may be a fit case for Duke Energy to seek "gyan" from PFBR engineers in India on selection, design and manufacture of creep resistant alloys for applications in a nuclear reactor core, particularly stainless steel.

I have now come across a rebuttal, by Areva, of the article quoted above.
(URL: http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.com/).

Friday, August 08, 2008
AREVA Affirms No Need to Restart MOX Tests

Recently a pair of antinuclear groups issued a misleading press release calling in question the results of trials of MOX (mixed oxide) fuel lead test assemblies (LTAs) at Duke Energy’s Catawba nuclear power plant. The groups suggest that the tests failed—this is not true. The tests provided AREVA with a thorough understanding of the fuel’s performance before it is used on wider scale. There is no need to restart the tests.

MOX fuel has been used safely and effectively for years in more than 30 reactors in Europe and Japan. The use of MOX fuel has several key benefits: it is a way to save natural resources while alleviating the nuclear waste issue. In the case of the U.S. program, it enables the conversion of former nuclear weapons material into CO2-free energy.

The additional facts about the MOX fuel tests are these:

Operation of the LTAs during their planned two cycles of irradiation proceeded flawlessly. The MOX fuel assemblies were placed in symmetric core locations where their power level could be monitored throughout their irradiation. Nuclear performance was excellent, consistent with expectations, and as predicted by the core design codes.

Three of the four MOX LTAs grew slightly longer than the pre-established growth limit for reinsertion for a third cycle. The pre-established growth limit for the MOX LTAs is the same as for commercially supplied fuel.

At no time did the MOX LTAs create or present a safety issue for the Catawba reactor. Monitoring of the operating reactor showed that the LTAs performed within all established limits and analyses.

It does not appear that the slightly higher growth in the LTAs was related to the MOX fuel in any way. However, the root cause analysis is not yet complete; we should not speculate about the exact cause until the data is in and thorough analysis is complete.

Duke Energy has not yet decided whether it will reinsert the assemblies for a third cycle. AREVA already is studying the best option for modifying the assembly design to ensure the fuel’s performance for a potential third cycle and for future use. {Emphasis, mine}.
Guest post by Jarret Adams.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Aug 2008 20:06

EDF finalises deal to run two China nuclear plants

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Aug 2008 22:54

gas centrifuge versus laser uranium

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 12 Aug 2008 06:03

Canada May Abandon Nuclear Agency If It Loses Bid, Globe Says

AECL's future hinges on Ontario deal, sources say

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 12 Aug 2008 06:07

Saudi agreement with UN nuclear agency gets Cabinet nod

The Council of Ministers yesterday approved the Kingdom’s agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the application of safeguards in the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its attached protocol.

Nigeria seeks safe nuclear energy

Nigeria is committed to implementing international nuclear safeguards and safety regime in the process of generating electricity from nuclear power plants.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 12 Aug 2008 17:08

U.S. says not to remove DPRK from terror list until verification

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 13 Aug 2008 04:51

US Sanctions 5 Iranian Companies for Nuclear Ties

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 14 Aug 2008 03:00

US dispatches envoy in bid to break NKorea nuclear deadlock

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 14 Aug 2008 06:10

US warns against Israeli plan to strike against Iran's nuclear facilities

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 15 Aug 2008 00:09

Swords and ploughshares

For the past 18 months AWE has co-operated with non-nuclear Norway and a London-based NGO, the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (Vertic), on techniques for verifying that when a country promises to cut weapons, it really does. This involves finding ways to let inspectors snoop about places like AWE and other sites where fissile materials from both dismantled weapons and active ones are present, without inadvertently spreading the knowledge of how to build a bomb.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 15 Aug 2008 00:16

Russian support for Iran sanctions at risk amid Georgia rift

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 15 Aug 2008 17:44

Russia: Poland risks attack because of US missiles

"Poland, by deploying (the system) is exposing itself to a strike — 100 percent," Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of staff, was quoted as saying.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 15 Aug 2008 22:12

The best strategy for curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 16 Aug 2008 17:53

Non-Nuclear Warhead Urged for Trident Missile

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 16 Aug 2008 18:03

Y-12 completes first unit for Trident warhead after long delay

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 16 Aug 2008 23:51

France Reaffirms Its Faith in Future of Nuclear Power

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 17 Aug 2008 22:17

Russia’s new nuclear challenge to Europe

Under the Russian plans, nuclear warheads could be supplied to submarines, cruisers and fighter bombers of the Baltic fleet based in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between the European Union countries of Poland and Lithuania.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 18 Aug 2008 04:48

Nursing a nuclear test hangover

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 18 Aug 2008 04:57

Britain holds £160bn stockpile of nuclear fuel

Britain has a stockpile of plutonium and uranium that, if converted to fuel, could be worth nearly £160 billion and power three nuclear reactors for 60 years, scientists say.

The Times has learnt. Its value is estimated as the equivalent of 2.6 billion barrels of oil.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 18 Aug 2008 18:41

Polish town back in centre of nuclear stand-off

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 19 Aug 2008 03:17

Bildt plays down Russian nuclear threat

The foreign minister said Sweden was already aware of Russia's nuclear capacity in the region.

"According to the information to which we have access, there are already tactical nuclear weapons in the Kaliningrad area. They are located both at and in the vicininty of units belonging to the Russia fleet,"

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 19 Aug 2008 04:44

By 2020 Russia will have to create a network of international uranium enrichment centers

a network of such centers would ensure nondiscriminatory access for non-nuclear states to low-enriched fuel for nuclear power plants with all nonproliferation requirements observed

Russia will become a global player in the nuclear sector if by 2012–2015 it enhances the total capacity of its nuclear power plants to 28–35 GW and by 2020 – to 50–53 GW, gradually transits to a new technological platform based on fast-breeder reactors and closed fuel cycle, starts producing small- and medium-capacity reactors for its remote areas and the world’s developing economies and brings its nuclear equipment and technologies export to the level of $8bln-14bln by 2020

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 19 Aug 2008 07:04

Time to Strengthen the IAEA
By Ernesto Zedollo - Former President of Mexico

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 20 Aug 2008 05:12

DPRK denounces U.S. for not removing it from terrorism blacklist

The United States has breached the basic "action for action" principle of denuclearization, even though the DPRK has submitted the declaration of its nuclear inventory, said a commentary by the official KCNA news agency.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 20 Aug 2008 05:13

The Future of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP): Next Steps