R3 and Tsinghua work together on safer nuclear power
14 May 2012 by M&C Applied Sciences/R3To broaden and deepen Chinese-Dutch scientific collaboration, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has awarded the R3 department a subsidy of 50,000 euros. Over the next three years this will enable R3 to strengthen its partnership with Tsinghua University's Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET).
In partnership with Tsinghua University, Wim Bouwman, Jan Leen Kloosterman, Katia Pappas and Henk Schut will study the effects of radiation on the structure and properties of graphite and metals, and develop improved materials and new fuels for the next generation of nuclear power plants.
In connection with this, Frank Wols will carry out a six-month internship with INET. The focus of this will be the inherently safe pebble bed High Temperature Reactor (HTR). China has shown considerable interest in building these. At TU Delft, neutron and x-ray scattering experiments, as well as positron annihilation experiments will be carried out. In Beijing the focus will be on computer simulations.
Combining experimental results and the simulations will provide an insight into the fundamental processes that take place when materials, such as graphite or steel, are exposed to neutron radiation. An insight into processes on an atomic to macroscopic scale will be gained. This will contribute to the development of inherently safe nuclear reactors, such as the pebble bed HTR.
