Showing papers on "Nuclear power published in 2020"

How China could be carbon neutral by mid-century

Abstract: Our special report examines the role of renewables, nuclear power and carbon capture in reaching this ambitious goal. Our special report examines the role of renewables, nuclear power and carbon capture in reaching this ambitious goal.

A Review of Prognostics and Health Management Applications in Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract: The US operating fleet of light water reactors (LWRs) is currently undergoing life extensions from the original 40- year license to 60 years of operation. In the US, 74 reactors have been approved for the first round license extension, and 19 additional applications are currently under review. Safe and economic operation of these plants beyond 60 years is now being considered in anticipation of a second round of license extensions to 80 years of operation. Greater situational awareness of key systems, structures, and components (SSCs) can provide the technical basis for extending the life of SSCs beyond the original design life and supports improvements in both safety and economics by supporting optimized maintenance planning and power uprates. These issues are not specific to the aging LWRs; future reactors (including Generation III+ LWRs, advanced reactors, small modular reactors, and fast reactors) can benefit from the same situational awareness. In fact, many small modular reactor (SMR) and advanced reactor designs have increased operating cycles (typically four years up to forty years), which reduce the opportunities for inspection and maintenance at frequent, scheduled outages. Understanding of the current condition of key equipment and the expected evolution of degradation during the next operating cycle allows for targeted inspection and maintenance activities. This article reviews the state of the art and the state of practice of prognostics and health management (PHM) for nuclear power systems. Key research needs and technical gaps are highlighted that must be addressed in order to fully realize the benefits of PHM in nuclear facilities.

Differences in carbon emissions reduction between countries pursuing renewable electricity versus nuclear power

Abstract: Two of the most widely emphasized contenders for carbon emissions reduction in the electricity sector are nuclear power and renewable energy. While scenarios regularly question the potential impacts of adoption of various technology mixes in the future, it is less clear which technology has been associated with greater historical emission reductions. Here, we use multiple regression analyses on global datasets of national carbon emissions and renewable and nuclear electricity production across 123 countries over 25 years to examine systematically patterns in how countries variously using nuclear power and renewables contrastingly show higher or lower carbon emissions. We find that larger-scale national nuclear attachments do not tend to associate with significantly lower carbon emissions while renewables do. We also find a negative association between the scales of national nuclear and renewables attachments. This suggests nuclear and renewables attachments tend to crowd each other out. Nuclear and renewable energy are considered two of the most important technologies towards decarbonization though it is not clear how their adoption relates to national emission reductions. Sovacool et al. look at data from 123 countries to examine emission reductions associated with nuclear- or renewable energy-focused strategies.

Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy System

Abstract: Nuclear power, along with hydropower, forms the backbone of low carbon electricity generation today; together they provide three-quarters of global low-carbon generation today. Over the past 50 years, nuclear power has reduced CO2 emissions by over 60 gigatonnes – nearly two years’ worth of global energyrelated emissions. Yet in the advanced economies, nuclear power has begun to fade, with plants closing and little new investment, just when the world requires more low-carbon electricity. This paper focuses on the role of nuclear power in the advanced economies today and the factors that put nuclear power there at risk of decline tomorrow. The paper shows that without action nuclear power in the advanced economies could fall by two-thirds to 2040. It examines the implications of such a decline for emissions and for electricity security.Achieving the pace of CO2 emission reductions in line with the Paris Agreement is already a huge challenge, requiring large increases in efficiency and renewables investments, as well as an increase in nuclear power. This paper identifies the even-greater challenges of attempting to follow this path with much less nuclear power, including an additional USD 1.6 trillion in investment needs and 5% higher cost to consumers in advanced economies. This paper recommends several actions to governments open to nuclear power that aim to ensure existing plants can operate as long as they are safe, support new nuclear construction, and encourage new nuclear technologies to be developed.

Destined for decline? Examining nuclear energy from a technological innovation systems perspective

Abstract: Technology decline is a central element of sustainability transitions. However, transition scholars have only just begun to analyze decline. This paper uses the technological innovation systems (TIS) perspective to study decline. Our case is nuclear energy, which is at a crossroads. Some view nuclear as a key technology to address climate change, while others see an industry in decline. We examine a broad range of empirical indicators at the global scale to assess whether or not nuclear energy is in decline. We find that an eroding actor base, shrinking opportunities in liberalized electricity markets, the break-up of existing networks, loss of legitimacy, increasing cost and time overruns, and abandoned projects are clear indications of decline. Also, increasingly fierce competition from natural gas, solar PV, wind, and energy-storage technologies speaks against nuclear in the electricity sector. We conclude that, while there might be a future for nuclear in state-controlled ‘niches’ such as Russia or China, new nuclear power plants do not seem likely to become a core element in the struggle against climate change. Our conceptual contribution is twofold. First, we show how the TIS framework can be mobilized to study technology decline. Second, we explore a range of indicators to cover the multiple dimensions of decline, including actors, institutions, technology, and context.

Distributed power generation via gasification of biomass and municipal solid waste: A review

Abstract: The access to electricity has increased worldwide, growing from 60 million additional consumers per year in 2000–2012 to 100 million per year in 2012–2016. Despite this growth, approximately 675 million people will still lack access to electricity in 2030, indicating that electricity demand will continue to increase. Unfortunately, traditional large fossil power technologies based on coal, oil and natural gas lead to a major concern in tackling worldwide carbon dioxide emissions, and nuclear power remains unpopular due to public safety concerns. Distributed power generation utilizing CO2-neutral sources, such as gasification of biomass and municipal solid wastes (MSW), can play an important role in meeting the world energy demand in a sustainable way. This review focuses on the recent technology developments on seven power generation technologies (i.e. internal combustion engine, gas turbine, micro gas turbine, steam turbine, Stirling engine, organic rankine cycle generator, and fuel cell) suitable for distributed power applications with capability of independent operation using syngas derived from gasification of biomass and MSW. Technology selection guidelines is discussed based on criteria, including hardware modification required, size inflexibility, sensitivity to syngas contaminants, operational uncertainty, efficiency, lifetime, fast ramp up/down capability, controls and capital cost. Major challenges facing further development and commercialization of these power generation technologies are discussed.

Main Findings, Remaining Uncertainties and Lessons Learned from the OECD/NEA BSAF Project

Abstract: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)/Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Benchmark Study of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (BSAF), which started in...

Comparing nuclear trajectories in Germany and the United Kingdom: From regimes to democracies in sociotechnical transitions and discontinuities

Abstract: This paper focuses on the starkly differing nuclear policies of Germany and the UK. Germany has committed to discontinue nuclear power, aiming to phase the technology out by 2022. The UK has long professed the aim of a ‘nuclear renaissance’, promoting the most ambitious nuclear construction programme in Europe. The present analysis of this contrast is based around a simple yet fundamental question: which aspects contribute most to producing such divergent energy developments in these two countries? Distinguishing possible interpretive dimensions that are relatively ‘internal’ or ‘external’ to the main foci of attention in sociotechnical transitions theory, we develop a novel set of criteria spanning technical, economic, resource-based and political issues. Under each, we ask whether specific characteristics of either national setting would tend to make the phase out of nuclear power more or less likely. Our findings are that ‘internal’ aspects tend to predict discontinuity to be more likely in the UK than Germany. Only ‘external’ aspects clearly predict the actual trend. We argue on this basis that sociotechnical discontinuity is rather poorly explained by reference to the circumscribed concepts highlighted in conventional narrow versions of transitions theory. What is evidently more important, are wider political factors relating broadly to general 'qualities of democracy'.

Nuclear Power Plants With Artificial Intelligence in Industry 4.0 Era: Top-Level Design and Current Applications—A Systemic Review

Abstract: Nuclear energy can make an important contribution to low-carbon energy supply for Industry 4.0, while Industry 4.0 can reform this industry in return. As a typical and complex man-machine-network integration system, various faults, insufficient automation and stressed human operators limit the further popularization of nuclear power plants (NPPs) while these issues can be addressed by the aid of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. In this work, we try to present a systemic review of how AI can benefit NPPs in a top-to-down fashion. We discuss limitations in current NPPs and introduce the concept of Nuclear Power Plant Human-Cyber-Physical System (NPPHCPS) as the top-level design. Then, we category AI-related nuclear power applications into Physical-Plant-Centered and Human-Operator-Centered technologies and review research works from 7 typical NPP functional scenarios in the recent two decades. In each NPP functional scenario, how researchers integrate AI into NPPs is presented following timeline. We hope this review can be used as the guideline for NPPs’ Design in the future and contribute to green Industry 4.0.

Democratic quality and nuclear power: Reviewing the global determinants for the introduction of nuclear energy in 166 countries

Abstract: This paper analyzes the nature of democratic development in a nation on the process of introducing nuclear power over the period 1960 - 2017 for an unbalanced panel of 166 countries. Given the involved political process of introducing nuclear power and its political importance, as well as proposals to construct new nuclear reactors in currently about 30 countries, this question is both of historic and current interest. We apply a multinomial logistic regression approach that relates the likelihood of a country to introduce nuclear power to its level of democratic quality and nuclear warhead possession. The model results suggest that countries with lower levels of democratic development are more likely to introduce nuclear power. Our results moreover indicate that countries which possess at least one nuclear warhead are more likely to continue to use nuclear power instead of not using nuclear power at all. We discuss these results in the context of the public policy debate on nuclear power, yet beyond energy and environmental issues addressing the neglected political and democratic dimension in connection with nuclear power.

The achievement, significance and future prospect of China's renewable energy initiative

Abstract: China's high-speed economic growth and ambitious urbanization depend heavily on the massive consumption of fossil fuel. However, the over-dependence on the depleting fossil fuels causes severe environmental problems, making China the largest energy consumer and the biggest CO emitter in the world. Faced with significant challenges in terms of managing its environment and moving forward with the concept of sustainable economic development, the Chinese government plans to move away from fossil fuels and rely on renewables such as hydropower, wind power, solar power, biomass power and nuclear power. In this paper, the current status of China's renewable energy deployment and the ongoing development projects are summarized and discussed. Most recent developments of major renewable energy sources are clearly reviewed. Additionally, the renewable energy development policies including laws and regulations, economic encouragement, technical research and development are also summarized. This study showcases China's achievements in exploiting its abundant domestic renewable energy sources to meet the future energy demand and reducing carbon emissions. To move toward a low carbon society, technological progress and policy improvements are needed for improving grid access (wind), securing nuclear fuel supplies and managing safety protocols (nuclear), integrating supply chains to achieve indigenous manufacture of technologies across supply chains (solar). Beyond that, a preliminary prediction of the development of China's future renewable energy developments, and proposes targeted countermeasures and suggestions are proposed. The proposal involves developing smart-grid system, investing on renewable energy research, improving the feed-in tariff system and clarifying the subsidy system.

Public opinion on nuclear energy and nuclear weapons: The attitudinal nexus in the United States

Abstract: Does a lack of enthusiasm for nuclear energy among the US public relate to connections with nuclear weapons? The United States is projected to decline as the global leader in nuclear power production due to stagnation in the industry. Alongside this trend, US public skepticism of nuclear energy has remained high for decades. Policymakers, industry, and pro- and anti-nuclear advocates must understand these attitudes given electricity needs, energy sector competition, and climate change. Existing scholarship explains public opinion on nuclear power by comparing its economic and environmental desirability with other energy sources. Yet, a critical area of public opinion remains understudied: the connection between nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Scholars have theorized such a relationship in the public consciousness, but the premise has not been systematically investigated. Two studies examine this theoretical linkage. Study 1 uses a nationally representative US survey experiment ( n = 904 ) to validate that public attitudes toward civilian and military nuclear technologies are indeed related. Study 2 uses an exploratory survey experiment ( n = 1 , 003 ) to show that persuasive information about each technology affects opinion about the other. These studies provide evidence of psychological linkage. In fact, attitudes toward nuclear weapons may even drive those on nuclear energy.

Post-political uncertainties: Governing nuclear controversies in post-Fukushima Japan.

Abstract: This article examines a set of public controversies surrounding the role of nuclear power and the threat of radioactive contamination in a post-Fukushima Japan. The empirical case study focuses on the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan's most influential ministry and, more importantly, the former regulator of nuclear energy before the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Through participant observation of METI's public conferences, as well as interviews with state and non-state actors, I examine how particular visions of nuclear power continue to affect the basis of expert authority through which state actors handle post-Fukushima controversies and their subsequent uncertainties. In its post-Fukushima representations, METI frames nuclear power as an apolitical necessity for the well-being of the Japanese nation-state and the common humanity. It does so by mobilizing categories of uncertainty around specific political scenes, such as global warming. For METI, the potential uncertainties linked with the abandonment of nuclear power have the power to trigger political turmoil of a higher scale than those linked with Fukushima's radioactive contamination. A form of double depoliticization takes place, in which the issue of Fukushima's radioactive contamination gets depoliticized through perceived priorities that are paradoxically depicted as 'post-political' - that is, in an urgent need for immediate action and not open to in-depth deliberation. I refer to this process as establishing 'post-political uncertainties'. This kind of depoliticization raises ethical questions surrounding meaningful public participation in decisions that happen at the intersection of politics and science and technology study.