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Sophelio Launches Fusion Equilibrium Challenge, Opening DIII-D and MAST Experimental Datasets

On August 11, Sophelio launched the Fusion Equilibrium Challenge. The competition has been accepted into the 2026 Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) competition track, making it the first fusion energy-related challenge to enter this track. The challenge is co-organized by Sophelio together with the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) FAIR-MAST project, and the Institute for Fusion Studies (IFS) at the University of Texas at Austin, with data hosted on the Hugging Face platform. Open to the global machine learning community, the competition re...

2026-08-12

Korean Research Team First to Quantitatively Reveal Radiation Degradation Mechanisms in Gallium Arsenide Semiconductors

A semiconductor research team in Korea has recently succeeded, for the first time in the country, in quantitatively identifying the performance degradation mechanisms of gallium arsenide (GaAs) compound semiconductors under radiation environments. Gallium arsenide is regarded as a key material for next-generation aerospace, aviation, and defense systems, and the findings contribute to understanding the impact of high-energy radiation on the reliability of compound semiconductor devices. The research was led by Professor Kim Min-soo and Professor Hwang Hyun-jun from the Department of Semiconductor Engineering, in collaboration with the Advanced Radiation Research Center at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and WaveTrack Corporation. The research team noted that communication and power equipment aboard low-Earth-orbit satellites or detectors, when exposed to high-energy radiation environments over extended periods, may experience...

2026-08-11

Unit 2 of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant Phase II automatically shut down for equipment maintenance

At 21:45 local time on August 8, 2026, Unit 2 of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant Phase II was shut down by the automatic system due to the need for thermal-mechanical equipment maintenance. After the maintenance work is completed, the unit will be reconnected to the grid. The shutdown was carried out in accordance with established procedures and design logic. The plant reported no violations of safe operation limits or operating conditions for any of the units. Currently, RBMK-1000 Units 3 and 4 of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant, as well as Unit 1 of Phase II, are operating normally and carrying electrical loads in accordance with the dispatch schedule. RBMK-1000 Units 1 and 2 are in the preparation stage for decommissioning...

2026-08-10

DXA Screening Among U.S. Medicare Population Declines 35% Over Nearly Two Decades

A new study shows that between 2005 and 2023, the rate of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examinations among U.S. Medicare beneficiaries declined significantly, by 35%. DXA is commonly used for bone density testing and osteoporosis-related screening, and the findings suggest that disparities in screening access across different populations are widening. Researchers analyzed claims data from more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries. The results showed that DXA utilization fell from 7,255 exams per 100,000 beneficiaries in 2005 to 4,690 per 100,000 beneficiaries in 2023. The study was published in Osteoporosis International. The decline was not uniform across populations...

2026-08-08

Container Non-Opening Inspection and Screening System Commissioned at Logistics Center in Moscow Oblast, Russia

According to the press service of the Moscow Oblast Ministry of Investment, Industry and Science, the Selyatino Transport and Logistics Center (TLC), located in the Naro-Fominsk urban district of Moscow Oblast, Russia, has installed a modern inspection and screening facility to improve the efficiency of container cargo inspection and the level of transport safety. The equipment enables rapid inspection of cargo inside containers without opening them, helping staff determine whether dangerous goods or related substances are present inside. Yekaterina Zinovieva, Deputy Prime Minister of Moscow Oblast and Minister of Investment, Industry and Science, stated that deploying such systems is one of the measures in the region to enhance the safety of cargo storage and transportation at container yards...

2026-08-07

FAO and IAEA: Nuclear Technologies Are Enhancing Agricultural Production and Food Security

On March 30, 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency presented multiple applications of nuclear technologies in agriculture and food security. The two organizations have collaborated for over 50 years in knowledge sharing and capacity building, further strengthening their partnership through the establishment of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. In the field of animal health, nuclear technologies are used for the detection, control, and prevention of transboundary animal diseases and zoonoses. Belize previously had to send animal disease testing samples to overseas laboratories; with support from the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority established a molecular diagnostic laboratory for animal health and adopted real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing technology. This method can detect animal diseases within 24 hours, helping frontline personnel take rapid prevention and control measures. Recently, the laboratory has also been used to assist in human COVID-19 testing, reflecting the "One Health" concept that animal, human, plant, and environmental health are interconnected.

2021-03-30

Construction of inner containment begins at Unit 4 of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant II

Construction of the inner containment of the reactor building at Unit 4 of the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant II in Russia has commenced. The unit features a VVER-1200 reactor, and the inner containment is a key component of the unit's passive safety system, as well as part of the plant's confinement safety system. Construction workers have installed the first tier of vertical sealed steel liner to its design position. The steel structure weighs approximately 97 tonnes, and the lifting and positioning operations were carried out using a heavy crawler crane, with the entire installation process lasting about 7 hours. The contractor, TITAN-2 Holding Company, stated that the preparatory work took several months, including component fabrication, protective coating application, on-site assembly and welding, and structural quality inspection...

2026-08-06

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Licenses Cryogenic Fuel Pellet Technology to Type One Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has licensed a suite of cryogenic fuel pellet injection technologies to Type One Energy to advance fuel supply capabilities needed for high-performance fusion plasma operations. The two parties signed the licensing agreement on August 5 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The license covers four ORNL inventions, primarily related to the design and operation of cryogenic fuel pellet injection systems. The technology forms solid hydrogen isotope fuel pellets at cryogenic temperatures near absolute zero and injects them into fusion plasma at high speeds. Compared with methods such as gas injection, pellet injection is more effective at delivering fuel deeper into the plasma...

2026-08-06

Krško Nuclear Power Plant to Reduce Power Output Due to Sava River Water Temperature Pressure

The Krško Nuclear Power Plant (Krško NPP) announced that, due to persistent abnormal hydrological and meteorological conditions in the Sava River, it will begin gradually reducing reactor power from the evening of August 6 to prevent river water temperatures from exceeding environmental standards. In the first phase, the unit's power output will be reduced to 80% of its maximum generating capacity. The plant stated that this power reduction is a planned, controlled, and temporary measure aimed at ensuring the Sava River water temperature remains within permissible limits. Relevant environmental standards stipulate that the daily average water temperature must not exceed 28 degrees Celsius, and the temperature increase of the river water caused by the plant's operation must not exceed 3 degrees Celsius. The management of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant also stated...

2026-08-06

Krško Nuclear Power Plant Operates at Full Capacity; Low Sava River Water Level May Affect Unit Output

Slovenia's Krško Nuclear Power Plant continues to operate at full capacity, but due to low water levels and elevated water temperatures in the nearby Sava River, a reduction in reactor power cannot be ruled out in the future. The plant stated that it is utilizing its cooling tower system and operating in compliance with environmental restrictions related to the Sava River. Due to insufficient recent precipitation, the Sava River's water level remains low, and river water temperatures are also staying in a higher range. Plant management also noted that increased cooling demands have already had a certain impact on the unit's power generation efficiency. Krško Nuclear Power Plant has notified relevant authorities in Slovenia and Croatia that if environmental restrictions are further tightened, it may be necessary to...

2026-08-05

Lifting Task of Large Storage Tanks in Cryogenic System Tank Area of HL-3 Upgrade Project Successfully Completed

On August 4, the lifting task of large storage tanks in the cryogenic system tank area of the HL-3 upgrade project, undertaken by the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP), was successfully completed. After two days and one night of continuous efforts, a total of 14 large storage tanks were precisely positioned, including 6 medium-pressure high-purity helium storage tanks of 100 cubic meters each, 2 cryogenic liquid nitrogen storage tanks of 100 cubic meters each, and 6 auxiliary helium storage tanks, with a total lifting tonnage exceeding 200 tons. The achievement of this key milestone marks significant phased progress in the installation of cryogenic system equipment. Once the cryogenic system is completed, it will provide stable and reliable cooling capacity for the neutral beam injection system and the toroidal cryopumps of the HL-3 device, effectively enhancing the neutral beam injection efficiency and...

2026-08-05

Russian Researchers Develop High-Wear-Resistant Steel Sample for Nuclear Waste Processing

Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) recently announced that Russian researchers have developed a steel sample with reinforcing elements. Experimental results show that the durability of this material is approximately 4 times that of 5KhNM tool steel currently used in nuclear power plant waste processing equipment. The research focuses on improving precipitation hardening steel structures. Precipitation hardening steel is a special class of alloy material that, after quenching and holding at specific temperatures, precipitates fine, hard particles within the steel, thereby enhancing strength and wear resistance. The researchers aim to replace existing 5KhNM tool steel with new high-strength alloys...

2026-08-04

Study Shows Sustained Deuterium Fusion in Palladium and Titanium Metal Foils at Ultra-Low Energies

U.S. researchers have observed a low-energy deuterium fusion phenomenon in thin palladium and titanium metal foils: when the incident deuteron energy drops to levels where fusion reactions are generally expected to weaken significantly or even nearly cease, the reactions continue to occur. Experiments show that as incident energy decreases, the fusion rate does not continue to decline exponentially but instead enters a plateau region below approximately 2 keV. At the lowest detectable energy, the measured low-energy fusion rate exceeds predictions from isolated-nucleus models by more than 10^18 times. Image courtesy of Marina Light/University of California, Davis. The related research was conducted by teams at the University of California, Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory...

2026-08-04

Moscow Cable Company Shield to Supply 4 km of Busbar Trunking for Units 3 and 4 of Leningrad NPP Phase II

Moscow Cable Company (Shield) will supply four kilometers of transmission lines for the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant. The company will manufacture 10 kV and 24 kV generator voltage transmission lines for Units 3 and 4 of Leningrad NPP Phase II. These transmission lines meet the highest reliability and safety requirements of the nuclear industry and are equipped with current transformers and voltage transformers produced by Cable Shield Company. The transmission lines will be manufactured at the enterprise in the city of Kovrov, where new production capacity for cable trays was built last year. Currently, the plant's annual production capacity reaches 12,000 meters of cable trays. According to statistics, over 400,000 meters of transmission lines produced by the company have been put into operation...

2026-08-04

Uranium Levels Exceed Standards in Water Supply on Seogyeom Island, Ganghwa County, Incheon; Government Denies Impact from North Korea's Pyongsan Uranium Mine Wastewater

Uranium levels exceeding standards have been detected in the water supply facilities at the groundwater source on Seogyeom Island, Ganghwa County, Incheon, and the government has stated that this is not attributable to wastewater from North Korea's Pyongsan uranium plant. According to the Ministry of Climate and Energy Environment, a recent detection at the Seogyeom Island water supply facility recorded a uranium concentration of 45 micrograms per liter, exceeding the drinking water quality standard of 30 micrograms per liter. The government stated that, following concerns raised over wastewater discharge from the Pyongsan uranium plant, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has conducted monthly regular inspections since July 2025, and quarterly inspections starting in 2026. The most recent inspection (June 2026) showed uranium concentrations ranging from 0.133 to 3.025 micrograms per liter at seven points, including the downstream Han River and areas near Ganghwa Island...

2026-08-04