B4: Nuclear Energy

Today, nuclear energy accounts for over 10% of global energy generation and the number of nuclear reactors deployed continues to grow steadily. However, if nuclear energy wants to remain a really sustainable energy source, innovation shall play a key role. Therefore, this section covers present and future nuclear power plants design and operation, as well as related technologies. It provides a forum to discuss and present recent R&D results, technologies, and best practices on nuclear power plants, for both fission and fusion technologies. Accepted papers can include small modular reactors designs, technologies, and operation. Research results on advanced and innovative nuclear fuel cycles are also welcome.

Reactor core analysis methods/codes/tools, sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification, artificial intelligence technique applications, and multiphysics analysis through linkage with other research areas are also included in the section topics. The crucial and decisive factors enabling the sustained long-term operation, safety, and profitability of nuclear systems are addressed, which can be achieved through a combination of applying optimum management strategies with an understanding of the ways in which safety-relevant systems, structures, and components perform and impact on plant availability, reliability and performance. Additionally, experimental and numerical analyses of nuclear systems are a key topic of the section.

The Nuclear Energy section addresses the role of nuclear energy in future electricity markets that may feature a high presence of renewables and other variable sources as well as inexpensive peaking capacity. The technologies considered in this section will enable nuclear power systems to realize optimal performances in a sustainable way. In fact, one additional purpose of this section is to review and debate the sustainability dimensions of nuclear power, based on the latest understanding of nuclear plant technologies, economic costs, climate change and other externalities; the final goal is to show that nuclear energy can contribute to mankind’s development in a clean and green way. 

Scope

• Advanced nuclear systems (including space nuclear reactors);
• Nuclear fuel cycles;
• Nuclear fusion and fission technologies;
• Nuclear power plants (including SMR) design and operation;
• Nuclear power plants economics;
• Nuclear power plants integration with the grid;
• Nuclear reactor engineering;
• Nuclear reactor physics;
• Nuclear safety and security;
• Nuclear batteries;
• Radiation detection and protection systems;
• Sustainability of nuclear energy systems.