Search Results

China's Huanliu-4 High-Temperature Superconducting Magnet Development Roadmap Clarified

On August 25, during the 2026 Fusion Energy Conference and Fusion Energy Activity Week, the Yangtze River Delta Innovation Consortium, led by China Fusion Energy Co., Ltd., has clarified its development targets for high-temperature superconducting high-field tokamak magnets: to build the first 25T high-temperature superconducting high-field magnet development and testing line by 2028, and to complete prototype magnet development by 2030. The consortium is led by China Fusion Energy Co., Ltd., with members including Shanghai Superconductor, Eastern Superconductor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group, Chaoci Xinneng, Energy Singularity, Hangyang Group, and Yixi Technology. The consortium will focus on building high-temperature superconducting high-field tokamak magnet development capabilities and engineering technology systems to provide key technical support for the subsequent construction of China's Huanliu-4.

2026-08-26

Russian Research Team Proposes New Method for Studying Morphology of Flexible Crystals

Experts from the Siberian Circular Photon Source Collaboration Center and the Institute of Solid State Chemistry and Mechanochemistry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have proposed a comprehensive method for studying the morphology of flexible organic crystals. The method combines computational algorithms, laboratory microscopy techniques, and experimental diffraction studies, and can be used to more reliably determine crystal geometry and facet arrangement. The results have been published in the Journal of Applied Crystallography. Flexible crystals are a relatively rare class of organic crystals that can bend under very small mechanical stress while maintaining lattice integrity. Researchers indicate that among compounds with determined crystal structures, the proportion exhibiting such properties is less than...

2026-08-26

Two production lines at radiopharmaceutical plant in Russia's Kaluga Region enter trial production

Rosatom recently announced that two production lines at its modern radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the Kaluga Region have entered trial production. The facility, built in accordance with the Eurasian Economic Union's international Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, is equipped with high-level production equipment and is designed to supply safe, quality-controlled radiopharmaceuticals to the market. According to reports, Rosatom's subsidiary enterprises currently produce more than ten registered diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, involving isotopes such as iodine-123, iodine-131, technetium-99m, and samarium-153. The new plant's production plan is based on the demand for radioisotope products from Russian medical institutions through 2030. The company...

2026-08-26

IAEA Study: Five-Star Rating System Can Improve CT Imaging Safety and Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure

A new study led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, shows that a five-star rating system can help hospitals optimize image quality, reduce radiation dose, and decrease unnecessary patient radiation exposure in computed tomography (CT) examinations. The study has been published in the European Journal of Radiology. CT imaging uses X-rays to obtain detailed images of internal body structures and is an important tool in diagnosing a wide range of diseases. The study notes that CT image quality is closely related to radiation dose—higher doses typically reduce image noise and improve clarity, but do not always yield additional diagnostic value. How to minimize radiation exposure while ensuring diagnostic accuracy is key to optimizing CT examination protocols.

2026-08-26

Russian Kursk NPP VVER-TOI Unit Completes Annual Power Generation Plan Ahead of Schedule

The new VVER-TOI unit at Russia's Kursk Nuclear Power Plant has completed its annual power generation plan four months ahead of schedule. As of August 25, the unit had delivered over 4.46 billion kWh to Russia's Unified Energy System, bringing the plant's total generation nearly 50% above the national plan target. The unit is the most powerful innovative VVER-TOI unit under Rosatom, and is a Generation III+ nuclear power unit. According to Kursk NPP, its output is equivalent to approximately two years of electricity demand for the residents of the city of Kursk. The new unit was first connected to the grid on December 31, 2025, and entered the electricity and capacity market on May 1, 2026...

2026-08-26

Netherlands advances front-end engineering design for two new nuclear power plants

The Netherlands Nuclear Organization (NEO NL) has awarded contracts to Électricité de France (EDF) and Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse) to conduct design studies for two proposed new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands. The work is seen as the next step in the construction preparation phase, with both companies set to launch the first phase of studies after the summer. These design studies, internationally referred to as Front-End Engineering Design Phase 1 (FEED 1), will be implemented in two stages. The first stage, FEED 1a, is independent of specific plant site selection, allowing work to proceed while the Dutch government advances its siting process...

2026-08-26

U.S. Fusion Roadmap Targets Early Power Plant Deployment by Mid-2030s

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released the "Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap," proposing to accelerate the deployment of early fusion power plants by the mid-2030s. The roadmap represents a key federal-level arrangement to advance fusion technology from experimental research toward engineering and commercialization, coordinated by the Office of Fusion established in November 2025. Unlike existing nuclear power plants that release energy through fission reactions, fusion devices attempt to fuse light atomic nuclei together, with an energy source principle identical to that of the Sun. Fusion power is regarded as a potential low-carbon energy direction, but the industry remains in the experimental and demonstration stage, with private developers yet to achieve commercial-scale net energy gain, i.e...

2026-08-26

Singapore team develops deuterated silicon nitride waveguides for wafer-scale broadband light generation

A research team from the Singapore University of Technology and Design and the Institute of Microelectronics at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore has recently developed a low-loss deuterated silicon nitride waveguide capable of on-chip broadband light generation. By replacing hydrogen with its heavier isotope deuterium, the team fabricated silicon nitride waveguides at low temperatures, demonstrating potential for integration with CMOS-compatible semiconductor processes and wafer-scale mass production. The related paper, "Octave-spanning supercontinuum generation in wafer-scale low-loss deuterated silicon nitride waveguides," was published in *Optics Letters*. The study shows that this chip-scale waveguide can broaden infrared laser pulses to cover a spectral range from visible red light to deep infrared. Traditionally, silicon nitride thin films are grown from silane gas, and residual silicon-hydrogen bonds in the material absorb light in the telecommunications band, requiring high-temperature annealing that is incompatible with integrated electronic circuits.

2026-08-26

TU Delft participates in innovative projects on compact reactors and molten salt reactors

The MOOI Kernenergie nuclear funding programme, operated by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), has recently selected four innovative projects to support research and development in reactor and fuel cycle technologies, radioactive waste storage, and geological disposal solutions. TU Delft is involved in three of these projects, with researchers from its Reactor Institute participating in the MARLIN and PRONTO projects. The MARLIN project focuses on compact modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) for industrial, maritime, and offshore applications. Based on measurement data and models, the project consortium will develop and validate a reactor prototype capable of simultaneously providing electricity and high-temperature process heat, with a focus on industrial clusters as well as maritime and offshore scenarios.

2026-08-26

South Korea Develops AI Model for Prioritizing Post-Earthquake Inspections at Nuclear Facilities

A joint research team from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed a deep learning model that can assist nuclear facilities in rapidly identifying priority inspection areas after an earthquake. The model uses seismic wave signals collected from a single seismometer to predict in real time the vibration responses at multiple locations within a nuclear power plant and quantitatively ranks potential risks. The research was jointly conducted by the team of Jae-Beom Lee, senior researcher at KRISS, and Young-Ju Lee, professor at UNIST. The researchers stated that this technology can, without installing sensors at every critical location...

2026-08-26

South Korean 3D-Printed Nuclear Power Plant Component Operates Continuously for 18 Months

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced on August 26 that a nuclear power plant component manufactured using 3D printing technology has been in continuous operation for 18 months on a reactor unit. This marks the first time South Korea has completed long-term operational validation of a 3D-printed nuclear power plant component in actual service. The component is a multi-blade impeller used to cool the generator circuit breaker of a nuclear power plant. Traditional impellers typically consist of multiple blades mounted on a fixed plate, and the connection points between the fixed plate and blades are at risk of damage during long-term operation. KHNP completed the development of this impeller in 2024, switching to 3D printing to manufacture an integrated one-piece structure, thereby reducing weak connection points and improving component durability. Before being put into service, this 3D-printed impeller underwent...

2026-08-26

US Pacific Fusion Breaks Ground on $1 Billion Fusion Facility in New Mexico

On August 25, local time, Pacific Fusion launched construction of a research and manufacturing campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The project involves an investment of approximately $1 billion and will be used to build the company's fusion demonstration system, with goals including achieving net facility gain and producing high-yield fusion energy pulses. The campus is located in the Mesa del Sol area of Albuquerque. According to Pacific Fusion's plan, the demonstration system aims to achieve net energy gain at the facility level by 2030, meaning the fusion device outputs more energy than the total energy initially stored in the equipment. The company stated that if this goal is achieved, it will mark a significant technological milestone in the commercialization of fusion energy...

2026-08-26

Westinghouse eVinci Microreactor Completes Zero-Power Criticality Testing

Westinghouse Electric Company announced on August 25 that its eVinci microreactor has completed zero-power criticality testing, validating relevant models and key assumptions in the core design. The test was completed at 10:39 a.m. Pacific Time on August 24, 2026, at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The center is operated under the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The test was conducted by Westinghouse Electric in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Zero-power criticality is typically used to verify that a reactor core can achieve a self-sustaining chain fission state at extremely low power levels, serving as a critical step in reactor physics testing and design validation...

2026-08-26

US NuScale Deploys Nuclear-Specific AI to Advance Small Modular Reactor Projects

NuScale Power Corporation announced on August 25 that it is deploying nuclear-specific artificial intelligence tools to support its engineering and knowledge management efforts, accelerating the development of its advanced small modular reactor projects. The initiative combines NuScale's technical expertise in advanced reactors, Nuclearn's AtomAssist nuclear AI platform, and NPX's experience in nuclear project delivery and AI implementation, aiming to establish specialized tools tailored for nuclear scenarios that help engineering teams retrieve, understand, and apply critical technical information more efficiently. As advanced...

2026-08-26

Molecular Partners Advances DLL3 Radiopharmaceutical MP0712 to Higher Dose Cohort

Swiss clinical-stage biotechnology company Molecular Partners AG recently announced its business progress and financial results for the first half of 2026. The company stated that its DLL3-targeting radioactive DARPin therapy MP0712 has advanced to the second therapeutic dose level in a U.S. multicenter Phase 1/2a clinical study, and patient enrollment for the new dose cohort is currently underway. MP0712 is a radiopharmaceutical targeting the tumor-associated antigen DLL3, carrying a therapeutic alpha-emitting radionuclide lead-212 (Pb-212) payload, co-developed by Molecular Partners and Orano Med, primarily for small cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine tumors. According to the company's disclosure, the first dose cohort of MP0712...

2026-08-26