New model simulates radionuclide migration in geologic disposal systems

July 22, 2025, 3:00PMRadwaste Solutions
(A) Computational domain and material distribution used in the simulations. The domain is rotated so that the Opalinus Clay strata are vertical. (B) 3D contour plots of neutral uncharged tritiated water (left) and charged 36Cl− (right) solutes at 900 days. (C) Comparison of observed (symbols) and simulated (lines) borehole concentrations using the 3D model. (Image: Sarsenbayev et al.)

Researchers with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working with scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Orléans, have modeled radionuclide behavior in deep geologic formations, offering a tool for developing a defensible safety case for the underground disposal of radioactive waste.

Small and Advanced Reactors with Diverse Fuel Cycles Can Deliver Energy Security

July 29, 2022, 7:08AMNuclear News

Nuclear energy offers a pairing of high capacity factors and low carbon emissions unrivaled by other power sources, and advanced reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs) hold promise to deliver that power with even more efficiency and versatility. Researchers in the public and private sectors, backed by government funding through programs like the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program and Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), are bringing that promise closer to fulfillment by engineering solutions to open questions about advanced reactor materials and fuel cycles.

Authors of SMR study reply to NuScale comments

June 13, 2022, 3:01PMNuclear News

On June 2, Nuclear Newswire published a letter from Jose Reyes, chief technology officer at small modular reactor developer NuScale Power, to May R. Berenbaum, editor-in-chief of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, regarding a research article published by PNAS two days previous. The article, “Nuclear waste from small modular reactors,” has grabbed more than a few headlines for its claim that SMRs will actually generate more nuclear waste than a standard large pressurized water reactor.