NextGen MURR Design Studies Phase Update with KAERI and Hyundai Engineering

📣 New paper is out! 📘 Title: A surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithm for robust scheduling of nuclear power plant construction under project risk interactions 📚 Journal: Nuclear Engineering and Design 🌐 Authors: André Casotti and Enrico Zio 📖 Abstract: Nuclear power plant (NPP) projects are prone to major schedule overruns, often triggered by cascading risks such as supplier delays, human errors and change orders. Conventional scheduling models that treat risks as independent, fail to capture the systemic interactions that amplify disruptions to the project. This work introduces a surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithm for robust project scheduling under uncertain risk interactions. A probabilistic Risk Interaction Network (RIN), calibrated on empirical evidence from European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) projects, is coupled with an Independent Cascade model and Monte Carlo simulation to assess the possible (stochastic) project outcomes. To address the issue of high computational cost, a neural network model ensemble is trained to approximate expected project durations from schedule–RIN configurations, whose predictive variance is used as an uncertainty constraint during project schedule optimization. Application to a Double Containment Pressurized Water Reactor (DC-PWR) case study shows that surrogate-guided search uncovers schedules with significantly lower expected duration and tail risks than deterministic baselines do, providing a tractable and risk-aware framework for robust NPP construction scheduling. 🔗 Available online: https://lnkd.in/d39gR3AA #NuclearPowerPlant #Construction #ProjectScheduling #ScheduleRisks #RiskInteractions #RobustOptimization #SurrogateModel #EvolutionaryAlgorithm

The Department of State’s Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program will provide the Kazakhstan Institute of Nuclear Physics with an SMR classroom simulator. The simulator will be produced by Florida-based energy technology company Holtec International and WSC Inc., a Maryland-based developer of simulation technology that is a subsidiary of Curtiss-Wright. https://lnkd.in/e6Vf6s32

Done Right? The UK’s Fast Reactor Reality Check (Forgotten Reactors Series) If you ever want a reminder that nuclear engineering does not reward optimism alone, allow me to introduce one of Britain’s most earnest reality checks: the experimental Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR). Conceived in the late 1950s, DFR was Britain’s first serious leap into the fast-reactor world. The idea was elegant on paper—breed more fuel than you burn, stretch uranium resources indefinitely, and stride confidently into a high-energy future. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a bit, as it turns out. DFR was a 60 MWth/14 Mwe liquid sodium-cooled, fast-spectrum reactor - unapologetically complex. Sodium was chosen because it transfers heat beautifully and doesn’t slow neutrons. Sodium ALSO burns on contact with air, reacts VERY enthusiastically with water, and politely refuses to tell you where it’s leaking – especially when you’re really like it to. These were not bugs. They were “features”—at least according to the sales pitch. Operating from the remote Dounreay site in northern Scotland, engineers learned quickly that inspection, maintenance, and fuel handling in a sodium environment are not “hard,” but inherently hostile. -      Fuel had to be handled remotely. -      Components could not be visually inspected. -      Leaks were often inferred rather than observed. -      Every maintenance activity became a maddening exercise in choreography, planning and crossed fingers. Then came 1977, when a partial fuel meltdown occurred inside the core. No dramatic release, no public catastrophe—but the message was clear enough. The reactor was shut down permanently that year. And here’s the important part: this was not incompetence. These were excellent engineers doing exactly what experimental reactors are supposed to do—teach painful lessons early, when the stakes are lower. DFR delivered a masterclass in fast-reactor physics, materials behavior, and sodium system realities. It also demonstrated that operational elegance matters just as much as neutron economics. Fast reactors can work. That was never the question. The real question was whether they could work simply, inspectably, and maintainably enough to survive outside a research program. DFR’s answer was unambiguous. Complex coolants create complex plants—and complexity is the silent killer of reliability. Sodium fast reactors don’t fail because the physics is wrong. They struggle because maintenance is brutally difficult, leaks are elusive and almost invisible, fuel handling is impossibly intricate, and operational margins that look great on paper shrink to near zero under real-world conditions. If your reactor requires heroics to operate, history suggests it won’t stay heroic for long. The DFR told us that decades ago. We should probably listen – before we pay to learn these lessons again.   #ForgottenReactors #NuclearHistory #NuclearEngineering #FastReactors #LessonsLearned #ReactorOperations

## Quantifying Fission Product Mobility Barrier Performance in Lead-Lithium Alloys via Multi-Scale Modeling and Bayesian Optimization **Abstract:** Addressing the long-term safety of advanced nuclear reactors, particularly fast reactors (FRs) aimed at transmutation of long-lived radionuclides from spent nuclear fuel (SNF), requires a deeper understanding of fission product (FP) mobility within structural materials. This work proposes a novel methodology employing multi-scale modeling coupled with Bayesian Optimization (BO) to quantitatively assess and improve the fission product mobility barrier performance of Lead-Lithium (PbLi) alloys....

"Researchers in Sweden have reported new insights into how stainless steel corrodes when exposed to liquid lead, a finding that could influence the design of next‑generation lead‑cooled #nuclear reactors. Lead‑cooled reactors are being explored as an alternative to the water‑cooled designs that have dominated nuclear power since the mid‑20th century. Researchers say lead coolant offers operational safety benefits and better thermal efficiency but liquid lead is notoriously aggressive towards conventional structural steels. That has made developing compatible materials a priority for the industry. A team at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has published experimental work in the journal Corrosion Science showing that corrosion of a widely used stainless steel, AISI 316L, is driven by an ultrathin film of liquid lead at the metal surface. The film, the researchers say, can be as little as one micron thick yet is sufficient to cause rapid dissolution of key alloying elements. The study challenges a common assumption about the corrosion process." https://lnkd.in/egYx9hQ8

As a physicist I hear a lot of news and research on fusion energy but a star in space-time is the only way to have fusion as a star never has an atomic panel of setpoints of time, displacement and decay rate. A star cannot be controlled or maintained it is born, lives, and dies without any human manipulation and technology. All fusion research is really a version of fission. Fission Energy on Earth can last for 555,000 years up to 600,900 years if calibrated or the reactor is fine tuned by the Geiger counter sensor. How is it done? First reduce time from 0.202 seconds to 0.1287 seconds verify zero rads, increase displacement to 25,373.13 miles and verify zero rads on the sensor, last increase decay rate to 3088 from 2000 and verify zero rads on the sensor. Something they don't teach you in college or at the US Navy's Nuclear Engineering Training program. All the claims of nuclear fusion are actually just fission because a star takes more hydrogen than we have on the planet earth to be born: a small red dwarf star = 3.88833322 billion tons of hydrogen plus 2.33388 billion tons of helium in space. When was the last time you had a Moon burn from the reflected Sun's light or moonbeams? Since it's variable light that would be never because it is variable wavelengths of visible light proves E=mv^3.26 is the law of special relativity. The light reflected has been reduced in the properties of photon brightness, photon heat or radiation, photon frequency, and photon light speed. If you have any of the main reactor panel setpoints set too high they create a leak, if they are too low they don't produce a full atomic reaction peak power output. If any of the setpoints are set too high they ram the anode thus creating a gamma X-ray radiation leak and exposing everyone near the reactor to radiation. A good indication your doing something stupid is your body and testicles are hurting from gamma X-ray radiation exposure. If you are NOT using the Geiger counter sensor to fine tune the reactor you could be exposing yourself and everyone else by the reactor. It is what the radiation sensor is good for keeping everything accurately set and at maximum power output. An 8.33322 billion dollar piece of high technology you don't want to run poorly. Time: 0.1287 seconds reduced from 0.202 seconds. Verify with a Geiger counter sensor. Displacement: 25,373.13 miles or as 40834.09 kilometers. Verify with a Geiger counter sensor. Decay Rate: increase to 3088 from 2000 verify with a Geiger counter sensor. Once set you can put all wastes into the nuclear furnace, examples of decay a used tire decays in 0.223 seconds, a piece of rusty metal decays in 0.223 seconds, and a spent pill decays in 3 seconds. You can clean up the community and roadside pollution if you don't mind putting waste into the nuclear furnace. If you have any further questions please contact Nuclear Physicist John Whitecorn, Prairie Island, Minnesota.

🚀 When Universities Power the Future ⚛️ | Microreactors Move From Vision to Reality What happens when cutting-edge nuclear innovation meets world-class academia? You don’t just get research — you ignite a global energy shift. 🇺🇸 Nano Nuclear Energy and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have just taken a decisive step by extending their collaboration on the Kronos MMR, bringing the United States closer to deploying its first on-campus micro modular reactor. This is not incremental progress. This is next-generation nuclear in motion. 🔬 Why the Kronos MMR matters High-temperature, helium-cooled micro modular reactor Uses TRISO fuel, among the most robust fuels on Earth Compact, factory-built, scalable, and deployable where power is needed most Designed for zero-carbon, always-on energy 🏫 Why a university campus? Because innovation thrives where research, talent, and real-world deployment intersect. UIUC will: Use Kronos as a national research & education platform Support Illinois’ zero-carbon transition Train the next generation of nuclear engineers, regulators, and system designers 🔄 Why this partnership is globally relevant Demonstrates how academia can de-risk advanced nuclear Creates high-resolution operational data for commercial deployment Signals confidence in microreactors as a serious clean-energy solution Shows how setbacks (like past project disruptions) can become stronger reboots 🌍 In a world grappling with climate urgency, grid instability, and energy security, microreactors are no longer theoretical — they are being built, tested, and prepared for licensing. This is how nuclear regains momentum: through trust, transparency, research, and deployment — not debate alone. 💬 Question for leaders & changemakers: Should every major research university become a hub for advanced nuclear innovation? 👇 Share your perspective. Repost if you believe small reactors will play a big role. #NuclearInnovation #MicroReactors #AdvancedNuclear #CleanEnergy #EnergyTransition #TRISO #FutureOfEnergy #NetZero #STEM #NuclearLeadership

France’s Nuclear Reactor Maintains 90 Million°F Plasma for a Record-Breaking 22 Minutes, 17 Seconds — A Major Fusion Milestone France has achieved a historic breakthrough in nuclear fusion research by sustaining plasma at nearly 90 million°F (50 million°C) for an unprecedented 22 minutes and 17 seconds. The achievement was recorded at the WEST Tokamak, operated by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), marking a critical step toward practical fusion energy. Fusion reactors attempt to replicate the process that powers the Sun, where light atomic nuclei fuse under extreme heat and pressure to release enormous amounts of energy. Holding plasma—an ultra-hot, electrically charged gas—stable for long durations has been one of the biggest technical challenges in fusion science. This record demonstrates exceptional control over temperature, magnetic confinement, and reactor materials. Unlike brief experimental bursts seen in earlier fusion attempts, this sustained plasma operation proves that reactors can maintain extreme conditions continuously without damaging internal components. It validates advanced cooling systems, tungsten-based reactor walls, and precise magnetic field control—all essential for future commercial fusion power plants. Important Details: • Plasma temperature reached -90 million°F (50 million°C) • Plasma confinement time set a new world record at 22 minutes, 17 seconds • Conducted at France’s WEST tokamak fusion reactor • Demonstrates long-duration stability, not just short experimental bursts • Confirms durability of reactor materials under extreme heat • Supports designs planned for next-generation fusion projects like ITER • Moves fusion closer to clean, limitless, carbon-free energy Scientists emphasize that while fusion power for the grid is still years away, milestones like this drastically reduce uncertainty. Each record brings humanity closer to a future where energy is produced without carbon emissions, long-lived radioactive waste, or fuel scarcity. This achievement positions France as a global leader in fusion research and highlights how engineering precision, material science, and plasma physics are converging to unlock one of the most powerful energy sources ever envisioned. #FusionEnergy #NuclearInnovation #CleanEnergy #EngineeringBreakthrough #UnboxFactory

📄 New Publication | Best Practices for Axial Flow-Induced Vibration Simulation in Nuclear Applications I’m pleased to share that this paper, based on the remaining data from my PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Manchester, has now been published in the Journal of Nuclear Engineering (MDPI). 🔎 Why this matters Flow-induced vibration (FIV)–driven fretting wear remains a leading cause of fuel failure in light-water reactors (LWRs). Even in recent designs, such as the EPR at Taishan, FIV-related issues have led to extended shutdowns in 2021, reducing the reliability and availability of nuclear power plants. 🧪 Paper highlights (1) Best-practice recommendations to accurately and efficiently predict natural frequency, damping, and RMS vibration amplitude for axial-FIV involving high-stiffness structures in turbulent axial flow. (2) Paidoussis’ semi-empirical model (1966) is shown to validate cantilever axial-FIV configurations, extending beyond classical both-ends-constrained cases. Improved axial-FIV prediction enhances the safety, reliability, and efficiency of future nuclear power plants, including advanced reactors and SMRs, and is applicable to other slender components in axial flow. 🔗 Read the paper: https://lnkd.in/entAJbBq Many thanks to my co-authors for the excellent collaboration: Wenyu Mao Andrea Cioncolini Eddie Blanco-Davis Hector Iacovides #PhDResearch #NuclearEngineering #FlowInducedVibration #CFD #FSI #ReactorSafety #SMR #AdvancedReactors

The future of Thorium does not hinge on declarations or white papers. It hinges on compact, disciplined nuclear engineering—systems that are small, repeatable, licensable, and certifiable.