Nuclear engineering is a research area focused on the analysis, design, optimization, and safety assessment of systems that exploit nuclear processes, primarily fission and, increasingly, fusion. It encompasses reactor physics, thermal-hydraulics, fuel cycle science, radiation transport, materials behavior under irradiation, and nuclear instrumentation and control. Research addresses core design, neutron economy, transmutation, waste minimization, and proliferation resistance, as well as severe-accident phenomenology and probabilistic risk assessment. Contemporary nuclear engineering also investigates advanced reactor concepts (e.g., fast reactors, high-temperature reactors, small modular reactors), fuel and cladding innovations, fusion plasma-facing components, and nuclear data evaluation to support both power generation and non-power applications such as medical isotope production and radiation technologies.
When it comes to promising forms of energy, nuclear fusion checks all the boxes: it's clean, abundant, continuous and safe. It's produced when the lightweight nuclei of two atoms fuse together to form a heavier nucleus, releasing ...
Plasma Physics
Jul 17, 2024
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203
The furious exhaust heat generated by a fusing plasma in a commercial-scale reactor may not be as damaging to the vessel's innards as once thought, according to researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton ...
Plasma Physics
Jun 11, 2024
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283
A research group led by Prof. Wang Haixia from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the tritium release behavior of lithium titanate (Li2TiO3) breeder irradiated with fusion ...
Plasma Physics
May 24, 2024
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244
The reactions between protons and lithium isotopes, especially lithium-6, are pivotal for several domains ranging from nuclear energy applications to astrophysics. The detailed understanding of these interactions aids in ...
General Physics
May 7, 2024
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99
Nuclear energy has long been regarded as a next-generation energy source, and major countries around the world are competing to secure cutting-edge technologies by leveraging the high economic efficiency and sustainability ...
Nanomaterials
Apr 30, 2024
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151
A team of physicists from several institutions across the U.S. working with a colleague from China, at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, in San Diego, California, has devised a way to overcome two key hurdles standing ...
Nuclear power is considered one of the ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but how to deal with nuclear waste products is among the issues surrounding it. Radioactive waste products can be turned into more stable elements, ...
General Physics
Feb 16, 2024
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195
An advancement in neutron shielding, a critical aspect of radiation protection, has been achieved. This breakthrough is poised to revolutionize the neutron shielding industry by offering a cost-effective solution applicable ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 15, 2023
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