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Undeclared uranium hitches a ride on cobalt exports from Congo, study says
Philippe (left) and Manzuk quantified the amount of uranium that has been exported from the DRC in cobalt shipments or left behind in the environment. (Photo: Joel Hallberg/UW–Madison)
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Princeton University have published a study in Nature Communications that calls attention to a blind spot in nuclear nonproliferation: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has exported thousands of metric tons of uranium, and there is no accounting for where it has gone.
In partnership with Lighthouse Reports and the Financial Times, UW–Madison nuclear engineering professor and nuclear security expert Sébastien Philippe and Ryan Manzuk, a geologist and research fellow in Philippe’s group and at Princeton, conducted the study using countrywide mineralization and geochemical data.
Janne Wallenius, Erdenechimeg Suvdantsetseg, Andrei Fokau
Nuclear Technology | Volume 177 | Number 3 | March 2012 | Pages 303-313
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-A13477
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The design of a low-power fast neutron reactor cooled by liquid lead (ELECTRA) is presented. Application of (Pu,Zr)N fuel permits the design of a core with very small volume and fuel column height, resulting in highly negative coolant, fuel, and structure temperature coefficients and very low channel pressure drop. Full design power of 0.5 MW(thermal) may be completely removed by natural circulation in the primary circuit, thus eliminating the need for pumps. Analysis of flow stability and performance under unprotected transients show that the suggested design is very safe, supporting its intended use for training and educational purposes.