Rudy Konings appointed professor of nuclear fuel cycle chemistry (R3)
26 May 2011 by M&C TNW
Rudy Konings has been appointed professor at the Reactor Institute Delft, part of the TU Delft. Konings’ focus as part-time professor (0.2 FTE) at RID will be on improving the chemistry of the nuclear fuel cycle.
Nuclear materials
It is clear that nuclear energy is faced with a number of challenges at present. Yet it remains an option for future energy supplies, particularly as it produces almost no greenhouse gas emissions. A crucial factor for the nuclear industry of the future is the choice of reactor type and the associated nuclear fuel cycle. Prof. Rudy Konings will be working at the Reactor Institute Delft to set up research focused on nuclear materials for nuclear fission reactors. The research will be aimed at making nuclear energy more sustainable by developing better and more efficient nuclear fuels and the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel.
Joint Research Centre
Prof. Rudy Konings (1961) studied geochemistry at Utrecht University, where he graduated in 1985. He obtained his PhD at the University of Amsterdam in 1990 on the subject of the thermochemical properties of metal hydroxides. Konings then went on to work as a researcher and manager at ECN and NRG. In 1999 he took up a position at the Institute for Transuranium Elements in Karlsruhe (part of the EU Joint Research Centre). Konings will continue to work as Head of the Materials Research Unit at the Institute for Transuranium Elements in addition to his part-time appointment at TU Delft.
OYSTER
The Reactor Institute Delft hopes to soon have the necessary funds in place to realise the OYSTER (Optimised Yield – for Science, Technology and Education – of Radiation) improvement programme. The biggest improvement in OYSTER is the use of a so-called Cold Source that can slow down the speed of neutrons This means that the particles can be more accurately guided and used for a wide variety of applications, such as material research for nuclear reactors, solar cells and batteries, and also tracing and treating cancer. OYSTER will enable the Reactor Institute Delft to maintain and strengthen its international position as an expertise and education centre in the field of radiation.
More information
Rudy Konings. Professor of Chemistry of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, department of Radiation, Radionuclides & Reactors. Faculty of Applied Sciences. E-mail: Rudy.Konings@remove-this.ec.europa.eu.
Ineke Boneschansker, TU Delft science information officer. Tel: +31 (0)15 278 8499, e-mail: I.Boneschansker@remove-this.tudelft.nl.
