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Archive for the ‘nuclear energy’ category: Page 103

Dec 4, 2019

The Nuclear-Powered Bullet Train From the 1970’s Series ‘Supertrain’

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, transportation

A nuclear-powered bullet train that was equipped with amenities more appropriate to a cruise ship, it had luxuries such as swimming pools and shopping centers.

Supertrain was an American television drama/adventure series that ran on NBC from February 7 to May 5, 1979. Nine episodes were made. Most of the cast of a given episode were guest stars. The production was elaborate, with huge sets and a high-tech model train for outside shots.

On February 7th, 1979, thousands of Americans were introduced to the Supertrain, which ran from New York to Los Angeles. Nuclear-powered, the super-wide-bodied train topped out at 190 miles per hour and boasted on-board luxuries like a swimming pool, a discotheque, a shopping center and a movie theater. It even had a dedicated on-board Social Director.

Dec 2, 2019

When laser beams meet plasma: New data addresses gap in fusion research

Posted by in categories: computing, nuclear energy

New research from the University of Rochester will enhance the accuracy of computer models used in simulations of laser-driven implosions. The research, published in the journal Nature Physics, addresses one of the challenges in scientists’ longstanding quest to achieve fusion.

In -driven (ICF) experiments, such as the experiments conducted at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), short beams consisting of intense pulses of light—pulses lasting mere billionths of a second—deliver energy to heat and compress a target of hydrogen fuel cells. Ideally, this process would release more energy than was used to heat the system.

Laser-driven ICF experiments require that many laser beams propagate through a —a hot soup of free moving electrons and ions—to deposit their radiation energy precisely at their intended target. But, as the beams do so, they interact with the plasma in ways that can complicate the intended result.

Nov 23, 2019

Lasers could cut lifespan of nuclear waste from “a million years to 30 minutes,” says Nobel laureate

Posted by in category: nuclear energy

Physicist plans to karate-chop them with super-fast blasts of light.

Nov 20, 2019

The UK Is Racing to Build the World’s First Commercial Fusion Power Plant

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics, sustainability

What could the UK’s recent investment announcement mean for the future of sustainable energy?
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There are many directions we could go when it comes to the future of sustainable energy—but the UK made a bold move when it announced a huge investment (220 million pounds huge) in a prototype fusion power facility that could be functioning as a commercial power plant by 2040.

Continue reading “The UK Is Racing to Build the World’s First Commercial Fusion Power Plant” »

Nov 19, 2019

Poland Moves Ahead With $60 Billion Nuclear Power Project

Posted by in category: nuclear energy

After at least a decade of preparations, coal-reliant Poland may be one step away from embarking on its biggest power project ever, with talks on securing the $60 billion in financing entering the final stretch.

Nov 15, 2019

Building to house world’s largest tokamak fusion reactor now complete

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics

The structure that will house one of the largest and most ambitious energy experiments in history is now complete, with engineers working on the ITER Tokamak Building swinging their last pylon into place in readiness for the nuclear fusion reactor’s assembly stage. Nine years in the making, the facility is built to host the type of super-hot high-speed reactions that take place inside the Sun, and hopefully advance our decades-long pursuit of clean and inexhaustible nuclear fusion energy.

In the works since 1985, ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is a type of nuclear fusion reactor known as a tokamak and is a collaborative project involving thousands of scientists and engineers from 35 countries. These donut-shaped devices are designed to accommodate circular streams of plasma consisting of hydrogen atoms, which are compressed using superconducting magnets so that they fuse together and release monumental amounts of energy.

There are key technological challenges to overcome when it comes to tokamak reactors. Chiefly, these center on bringing them up to the required temperatures and keeping the streams of plasma in place long enough for the reactions to take place.

Nov 7, 2019

This Amateur Physicist Built a Fusion Reactor in His Backyard

Posted by in categories: innovation, nuclear energy

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There’s no telling what you can do when you put your mind to it. Take Richard Hull, he built a small-scale fusion reactor—in a shed, in his backyard. A retired electronics engineer, Hull took a special interest in nuclear fusion. He lives in Lakeside, Virginia, with his cats and likes to pass on his knowledge and collaborate with others on projects. So he invites amateur scientists from all over the United States to meet at his home once a year to check out his reactor and share their inventions.

Continue reading “This Amateur Physicist Built a Fusion Reactor in His Backyard” »

Nov 3, 2019

How we’ll get to Mars — what’s the biggest challenge, money or technology?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, economics, habitats, health, nuclear energy, space travel

“There are a number of critical technologies that have to be assessed and tested before we go to Mars,” he told Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald.

His short-list includes reusable landers, new space suits, mining gear, water and fuel production plants and safe nuclear power sources that could be used to power habitats and equipment on the red planet.

Continue reading “How we’ll get to Mars — what’s the biggest challenge, money or technology?” »

Oct 30, 2019

Confirmed: North Korean malware found on Indian nuclear plant’s network

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, nuclear energy

Two days after rumors of a malware infection at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant surfaced on Twitter, the plant’s parent company confirms the security breach.

Oct 30, 2019

Hard as ceramic, tough as steel: Newly discovered connection could help design of nextgen alloys

Posted by in categories: information science, nuclear energy, quantum physics, robotics/AI

A new way to calculate the interaction between a metal and its alloying material could speed the hunt for a new material that combines the hardness of ceramic with the resilience of metal.

The discovery, made by engineers at the University of Michigan, identifies two aspects of this interaction that can accurately predict how a particular alloy will behave—and with fewer demanding, from-scratch quantum mechanical calculations.

“Our findings may enable the use of machine learning algorithms for alloy design, potentially accelerating the search for better alloys that could be used in turbine engines and nuclear reactors,” said Liang Qi, assistant professor of materials science and engineering who led the research.