ANS Nuclear Cafe

On January 31, 2013, about 30 lucky members of the Virginia section of the American Nuclear Society heard a series of informative tales from one of the many innovative pioneers of the First Atomic Age. Clay Condit, a man overflowing with personal memories of important nuclear energy milestones-like the initial start-up of the Submarine Thermal Reactor and the post accident analysis of the SL-1 tragedy-entertained the assembled members for a little more than an hour.

New this morning is the 142nd edition of the Carnival of Nuclear Energy, the latest in a long running string of weekly features showcasing the best of the English language pro-nuclear blogs and authors.  Click here to access the Carnival right now, which this week is hosted at Next Big Future.

Editor: Will Davis

What's Next For Used Nuclear Fuel and Nuclear Waste Management Policy?

The American Nuclear Society is soliciting names of qualified members who are interested in becoming the editor of the ANS journal Nuclear Technology (NT). Dr. Nicholas Tsoulfanidis, Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, has served as editor of NT since June 1997. During his term, Professor Tsoulfanidis has done an outstanding job. He has raised NT's reputation for technical excellence and has kept up a full schedule of publishing monthly issues.

The 141st edition of the Carnival of Nuclear Energy is taking place at Atomic Power Review this week.  Click here to visit this latest edition.

This month's post discusses my ideas on an issue I've been thinking about for awhile.  Although we have four new reactors under construction in the United States (at Vogtle and Summer), the nuclear "renaissance" has so far not been nearly as strong as many had hoped. This begs the question as to what is holding nuclear back.

Artist Suzy Hobbs Baker to chronicle

Three courts, three cases

ANS Nuclear Cafe is proud to host the 140th edition of the Carnival of Nuclear Energy.  This feature rotates between a number of pro-nuclear blogs, presenting each week the top posts as selected by the contributing authors or webmasters.  This week has a wide selection of authors and topics - a clear indication of the breadth of the pro-nuclear blogging community's interests, involvement and commitment.

by Will Davis

The January 2013 issue of ANS's Nuclear Technology journal is available electronically and in hard copy for American Nuclear Society member subscribers and others. Non-subscribers click here to  subscribe to NT and other ANS titles.

An International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering

One of the single most valuable pieces of energy real estate in the United States is located a few miles outside of Chatham, Virginia, less than an hour's drive from my home. Millions of years ago, natural forces concentrated about 119 million pounds of uranium in a relatively small volume of what is now a cow pasture. That is enough raw material to supply all of the nuclear power plants in the United States with all of their fuel needs for a little more than two years. If valued at today's suppressed, post-Fukushima market price, the deposit is worth about $7 billion.

The 139th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up now at Yes! Vermont Yankee.  Click here to get to this latest edition.

Microsoft founder and extraordinary philanthropist Bill Gates is also a nuclear energy enthusiast.

Today the ANS Nuclear Cafe Matinee features the impressive transformation going on at the Plant Vogtle -3 and -4 construction site near Waynesboro, Georgia.

In Vermont, the Holiday Season did not slow the wave of actions and interest about energy in general and the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in particular. Vermont Yankee continues to run very well, and there have not been even any routine events for opponents to "crow" about.

The 138th Carnival of Nuclear Bloggers is now up at the popular site "Next Big Future."  You can click here to view this latest edition.

Recent announcements and news stories about a Russian project to build a floating and essentially portable nuclear power plant have been variously tabbed with the heading "new." The idea of a floating, mobile nuclear plant (which is not self-propelled and not a ship) is indeed not new-the nuclear barge STURGIS, itself a converted Liberty Ship, served as a power source for the Panama Canal for many years, beginning back in 1967. The new Russian plants bring extra excitement because they are classed, properly, in the now-popular small modular reactor plant category, having been based on true seagoing designs. This, of course, hints at the fact that their output will not approach that of any of the large, conventional nuclear plants familiar today.