Special Issue "Sustainable Nuclear Energy"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Sekimoto
Research Laboratory for Nuclear Reactors, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 0-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152, Japan
Website: http://www.nr.titech.ac.jp/~hsekimot/homeE.html
E-Mail: hsekimot@gmail.com
Interests: innovative nuclear energy systems; innovative nuclear reactor designs; self-consistent nuclear energy system; equilibrium nuclear energy utilization in the future

Dear Colleagues,

Energy is a key item for sustainability. Most of the presently utilized energy is fossil fuels. They emit greenhouse gas and cause global warming. Renewable energies are free from this problem. However, they have other problems such as low density and an unstable power rate. Nuclear energy is a high density and stable energy without carbon-dioxide emissions. This issue of Sustainability focuses on nuclear energy as a sustainable energy. However, it has several difficult and inherent problems. The present light water cooled reactors can only use less than 1% of original natural uranium, and their resource problem is as severe as fossil fuels. But breeder reactors can utilize larger portions of natural uranium and thorium, and can be considered to produce energy for about a million years. Nuclear energy has a more difficult and inherent problem. It utilizes the same technology as used for making nuclear bombs. Therefore, we should consider physical protection, nonproliferation and other problems related to nuclear weapons. The nuclear energy production process produces radioactive materials at the same time. This makes nuclear reactor accidents very severe and leaves difficult waste problems even after finishing reactor operations. This special issue of Sustainability will show the potential of innovative nuclear reactor / energy system for sustainable energy by solving these problems at acceptable economic costs.

Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Sekimoto
Guest Editor

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• sustainability
• innovative nuclear energy system
• innovative nuclear reactor design
• innovative nuclear fuel burning
• safety
• radioactive waste

Type of Paper: Article
Title: On The Photonuclear Rates Calculation for 100% Nuclear Transmutation of Beta Decay Nuclides
Author: Stefan Mehedinteanu
Affiliation: CITON – Center of Technology and Engineering for Nuclear Projects, Str. Atomistilor No. 409, BOP-5204-MG-4, Oras Magurele, Ilfov, Romania
Abstract: In the present paper is developed a model for calculating the rate of photonuclear reaction (beta decay) usable for nuclear transmutation in the reducing of radioactive waste. A photonuclear reaction is viewed as an incident photon creating superconducting hot spot (hot belt) across nucleon from the composition of a unstable nuclide (radioisotope), followed by a thermally induced vortex crossing, which turns superconducting hot belt into the normal state (vacuum) resulting in a vortex assisted photon beta decay. Because this model requires data on energies of vortex and on currents from inside of the nucleon, an analog of a superconductor model was developed for the nucleon. Thus, it was re-visited the dual Ginzburg-Landau model for the calculation of Lorenz force, monopoles current, and the energy of vortex lines for a vortex triangular lattice type Abrikosov within a nucleon, to find their meaning. For now, it was found that these energies would correspond to the subatomic particles, , Higgs bosons, pion , and of nucleon itself. As check points of this model are considered, the deduction of fusion temperature of two nucleons, even this model itself for photonuclear reaction mechanism, the explanation of the mechanism of natural beta decay as dark counts and comparison with the results of F.Iachello recently proposed model on the effect of a fermion on quantum phase transitions in bosonic systems. The new introduced model for the nucleon, to a superconductor analogue but with critical temperature equally with that of confinement temperature (175MeV), we do not use an a-priori Higgs field. Finally the model provides counts (decay) rates (), and allows the estimation of intensity , and of threshold value of photons energy (MeV) , in order to achieve , or () efficiency. Such efficient installations could be, for example, the laser ELI-NP in construction in Romania for the higher energy photons source.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Sustainable Nuclear Fuel Cycles and World Regional Issues
Authors: Vincenzo Romanello ¹ , Massimo Salvatores ^1,2, Aleksandra Schwenk-Ferrero ¹, Fabrizio Gabrielli ¹, Barbara Vezzoni ¹, Andrei Rineiski ¹ and Concetta Fazio ¹
Affiliations: ¹ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany; E-Mails: vincenzo.romanello@kit.edu (V.R.); massimo.salvatores@kit.edu (M.S.); aleksandra.schwenk-ferrero@kit.edu (A.S.-F.); fabrizio.gabrielli@kit.edu (F.G.); barbara.vezzoni@kit.edu (B.V.); andrei.rineiski@kit.edu (A.R.); concetta.fazio@kit.edu (C.F.)
² Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA), Cadarache, St-Paul-Lez-Durance 13108, France
Abstract: In the present paper it has been attempted to associate quantified impacts to a forecasted nuclear energy development in different world regions, under a range of hypotheses on the energy demand growth. It gives results in terms of uranium resources availability, required deployment of fuel cycle facilities and reactor types. In particular, the need in specific world regions to achieve short doubling times with future fast reactors is investigated and quantified. It has been found that a crucial feature of any world scenario study is to provide not only trends for an idealized “homogeneous” description of the global world, but also trends for different regions in the world. These regions may be selected using rather simple criteria (mostly of geographical type), in order to apply different hypotheses for energy demand growth, fuel cycle strategies and the implementation of various reactor types for the different regions. This approach was an attempt to avoid focussing on selected countries, in particular on those where no new significant energy demand growth is expected, but instead to provide trends and conclusions that account for the features of countries that will be major players in the world energy development in the future.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Limitations of Nuclear Power as a Sustainable Energy Source
Author: Joshua M. Pearce
Affiliation: Department of Materials Science & Engineering and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University, 601 M&M Building, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295, USA; E-Mail: pearce@mtu.edu
Abstract: This paper provides a review and analysis of the challenges that nuclear power must overcome in order to be considered sustainable. The results make it clear that not only do innovate technical solutions need to be generated for the fundamental inherent environmental burdens of nuclear energy technology, but the nuclear industry must also address difficult issues of equity both in the present and for future generations. The results show that if the concept of just sustainability is applied to the nuclear energy sector a global large-scale “sustainable nuclear energy system” to replace fossil fuel combustion requires the following: i) a radical improvement in greenhouse gas emissions intensity by improved technology and efficiency through the entire life cycle to prevent energy cannibalism during rapid growth; ii) the elimination of nuclear insecurity to reduce the risks associated with nuclear power so that the free market can indemnify it without enormous public nuclear energy insurance subsidies; iii) the elimination of radioactive waste at the end of life and minimization of environmental impact during mining and operations; and iv) the nuclear industry must regain public trust or face obsolesce as a swarm of renewable energy technologies quickly improve both technical and economic performance.