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Argonne National Laboratory Measures Dust Resuspension Behavior in Radioactive Contamination Scenarios

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory recently conducted field experiments to simulate the movement of dust particles on concrete surfaces under radioactive contamination scenarios, measuring the effects of pedestrian activity and vehicle traffic on dust dispersion. The study was published in the journal Health Physics and received support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the Radiological/Nuclear Emergency Response and Recovery Research and Development Program. To control humidity and temperature and prevent dust generation, pedestrian tests were conducted inside a tent. In the image, researchers can be seen entering the tent on the left. Particle counters are placed on a white table, with their hoses extending into the tent to collect air samples. (Image courtesy of Ar...

2026-08-27

Czech nuclear power plants largely unaffected by summer heat and drought

The Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB) stated on August 26 that this summer's heat waves and drought only caused a slight decline in electricity generation at the Temelín and Dukovany nuclear power plants, without leading to reactor power reduction or raising nuclear safety concerns. Currently, both plants meet the conditions for safe operation, including adequate cooling and water supply guarantees. SÚJB noted that some European nuclear power plants reduced output or temporarily shut down during high-temperature periods, mainly due to their cooling methods. Some plants use once-through cooling, making their operation directly affected by river water temperature and flow rate. When water temperatures rise and river flows are low, plants may reduce output due to environmental discharge limits...

2026-08-27

Kansai Electric Power Revises Nuclear Emergency Disaster Prevention Business Plans for Three Nuclear Power Plants

Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. announced on August 27 that it has revised the nuclear operator disaster prevention business plans for the Mihama, Takahama, and Oi nuclear power plants in accordance with Japan's Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, and filed them with the Prime Minister and the Nuclear Regulation Authority on the same day. The revisions pertain to nuclear emergency disaster prevention arrangements at the three nuclear power plants. Kansai Electric Power stated that it will continue to ensure the safety of the nuclear power plants and enhance nuclear emergency disaster prevention measures in accordance with the relevant plans. According to the documents, the consultation period prior to the revisions was from May 13 to July 30, 2026, totaling 79 days. The consultation parties included the local governments where the nuclear power plants are located and related neighboring local governments.

2026-08-27

France's Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant Reports Multiple INES Level 0 Events

France's Gravelines nuclear power plant recently disclosed significant events reported to the French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR). The events cover safety, operations, and radiation protection, and were all rated as Level 0 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), i.e., below the scale threshold, with no actual impact on facility safety, personnel health, or the environment. In a generic safety event involving EDF's 900 MWe-class nuclear reactor units, EDF discovered during inspections at the Cruas nuclear power plant that certain commercially supplied electric servomechanisms had been installed in functional positions requiring higher qualification levels, K3 or K3ad. K3 corresponds to seismic requirements, while K3ad involves both seismic and harsh environmental conditions, including radiation environments. Subsequently, EDF conducted checks on related equipment at the Blayais, Chinon, Cruas, Dampierre, Gravelines, Saint-Laurent, and Tricastin nuclear power plants and confirmed that a batch of equipment had model suitability issues.

2026-08-27

German BESSY II Research Reveals: Cesium Chloride Seed Layer Can Improve Quality of Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Solar Cells

A team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in Germany used the BESSY II synchrotron radiation facility to conduct nanoscale analysis of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells fabricated by evaporation methods, and proposed a new approach to improve the quality of perovskite thin films. The study shows that introducing a thin cesium chloride (CsCl) seed layer between the two sub-cells promotes uniform growth of the perovskite layer while reducing undesirable lead iodide deposition at the interface. The research demonstrates that the cesium chloride seed layer improves the growth of the evaporated perovskite layer and reduces the formation of lead iodide. Scanning electron microscopy images show that the perovskite layer grown without a seed layer (left image) consists of extremely fine crystallites...

2026-08-27

Europe Advances Space Nuclear Power Research, Targeting Lunar and Mars Missions

The European Space Agency (ESA) is accelerating its assessment of nuclear energy applications in deep-space missions, focusing on using small nuclear reactors to power spacecraft electric propulsion systems, as well as providing stable energy for future fixed lunar surface facilities and subsequent Mars missions. Existing space missions primarily rely on chemical fuels and solar panels. The former is limited by the amount of propellant that can be carried, while the latter suffers from declining power generation efficiency as spacecraft move farther from the Sun. ESA believes that nuclear power systems could compensate for the shortcomings of both approaches, particularly in long-duration lunar operations and deeper space exploration. ESA completed a nuclear thermal propulsion study last year. In March this year, the agency...

2026-08-27

Japan's Helical Fusion and Tohoku University Launch Social Communication Research on Fusion Energy

Helical Fusion recently announced that it has launched a joint research project with the Takahashi-Kariwara Laboratory of the Graduate School of Engineering at Tohoku University in August 2026, focusing on ideal communication methods for the social implementation of fusion energy. The project is planned to last approximately one year, with a focus on exploring the communication methods, dialogue mechanisms, and decision-making pathways required for fusion energy to move toward social application. According to the project plan, both parties will examine cases of existing advanced technologies in areas such as social acceptance and risk perception to study communication strategies needed for the stable application of fusion energy in future society. The research also plans to introduce...

2026-08-27

Hyogo Medical University Hospital to Launch Japan's First Elekta Evo Linear Accelerator System Treatments

Elekta K.K. announced on August 27 that its high-precision radiation therapy device, the Elekta Evo linear accelerator system, will be installed for the first time in Japan at Hyogo Medical University Hospital, with the first treatment scheduled to commence on September 24, 2026. This marks the entry of this next-generation radiation therapy system into clinical application in Japan. As the number of cancer patients increases, the demand for personalized and precise treatment in the field of radiation therapy continues to rise. The Elekta Evo is positioned as a next-generation radiation therapy system capable of covering both routine and more complex cancer treatment scenarios. The system is equipped with Iris, an AI-driven high-definition imaging technology, which enables clearer visualization of the positional relationships between organs in the patient's body...

2026-08-27

NSF Funds $30 Million Turbulence Research Center Focused on Predictive Modeling for Fusion Energy

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has established a new Science and Technology Center with a total funding of $30 million, focusing on the understanding and prediction of turbulence. The project targets application scenarios such as fusion energy, astrophysics, and hypersonic flight, aiming to tackle the challenges of cross-scale turbulence modeling and prediction in complex physical systems. Researchers and students from San José State University (SJSU) will participate in the related research. This is a three-dimensional simulated turbulent velocity field at the core collapse point of a massive star before a supernova explosion. Image credit: S. Couch, based on research by Fields and Couch published in The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 921, Page 28.

2026-08-27

Iran Says Nuclear Fusion to Become Priority in Nuclear Industry Development

At a national Government Week celebration ceremony held in Tehran, Mohammad Eslami stated that developing nuclear fusion is a priority direction for the future of Iran's nuclear industry. Iran needs to rely on its domestic capabilities, knowledge-based enterprises, and universities to drive progress in related fields. Eslami said that the innovation network of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) is providing support for nuclear fusion activities, shifting related work from the technology demonstration stage further toward system development and capacity building. He also stated that the establishment of the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) training center is an initiative to enhance industrial quality, promote technological advancement, and cultivate domestic professional expertise...

2026-08-27

Bulgarian Environmental Groups Demand Public Review of Water Engineering Project Near Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant

WWF Bulgaria has called for the prompt public disclosure of the technical plans and final design selection for the proposed hydraulic structures near the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, as well as for public discussions to be organized before construction work begins in the Danube riverbed. The organization stated that the purpose of the proposed project is to raise local water levels during prolonged droughts and historically low Danube water levels, ensuring the stable operation of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant's cooling system. The organization has sent an open letter to Bulgaria's Minister of Energy, Minister of Transport and Communications, and Minister of Environment and Water, raising these demands. WWF Bulgaria noted that the Danube is an international waterway, and any engineering intervention involving the riverbed requires careful assessment of environmental, socio-economic, hydro-morphological, and transboundary impacts. Given the complexity of the factors involved in the project, relevant analyses, model results, and design justifications should be made public in a timely manner and subjected to transparent public discussion.

2026-08-27

Thailand Plans to Include Small Modular Reactors in Power Development Plan, Targeting 9 GW by 2050

Thailand's new draft Power Development Plan (PDP) is expected to be released in September and enter the public consultation phase. All four power supply scenarios under discussion incorporate small modular reactors (SMRs) and large-scale energy storage systems, covering the planning period from 2026 to 2050. According to the draft's vision, Thailand plans to connect its first 300 MW-class small modular reactor to the national power grid by 2037, with nuclear power installed capacity reaching 9,000 MW by 2050. Based on a single-unit capacity of 300 MW, this target is roughly equivalent to approximately 30 reactors of similar scale, though the actual number may be adjusted depending on technology pathways and electricity demand. The main objectives of the new plan include reducing greenhouse...

2026-08-27

KHNP Advances Nuclear Process Heat-Based Hydrogen Production Ecosystem

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) held a preparatory meeting in Daejeon on August 26 to establish an advisory body for building the Korean solid oxide cell industrial ecosystem, and discussed R&D strategic alliances and industry-academia-research cooperation frameworks. The collaboration will bring together industry, academia, and research institutions, including the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology (KICET). KHNP plans to use the advisory body as a platform to connect R&D, demonstration, and commercialization, promoting the self-reliance of Korean solid oxide cell (K-SOC) related technologies. According to the meeting agenda, KHNP will serve as the lead enterprise, proposing technology development directions needed for demonstration applications and commercialization; the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology will play a supporting role in supplying core industrial technologies.

2026-08-27

U.S. Interlune injects helium-4 into lunar soil simulant, simulating 15,000 years of solar wind exposure on the Moon in 4 hours

U.S. space infrastructure and resources company Interlune announced on August 26, 2026, that it has successfully injected helium-4 into and released it from simulated lunar soil material, with experimental results consistent with the behavior of real lunar samples collected by the Apollo program. The company stated that this capability can simulate nearly 15,000 years of solar wind exposure on the lunar surface in approximately 4 hours, providing a material basis closer to real conditions for testing lunar resource development equipment on Earth. The experiment focused primarily on ilmenite. According to studies of Apollo mission samples, ilmenite is the main helium-bearing mineral in lunar soil. Interlune formed a plasma by ionizing helium gas in a vacuum environment, then...

2026-08-27

AMPERA and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Collaborate to Develop Advanced Nuclear Fuel

AMPERA announced on August 26 that it has established a strategic partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which operates under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) system. The two parties will collaborate on next-generation advanced nuclear fuels, with a focus on applications such as compact nuclear energy systems and subcritical reactor platforms. Under the collaboration arrangement, the two parties will jointly advance the development of manufacturing processes related to tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. Project objectives include improving the reliability, licensability, and scalability of fuel manufacturing,...

2026-08-27