Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) have gained worldwide interest in recent years due their appealing characteristics with respect to safety and resource utilisation. In this reactor type the fuel is a liquid salt containing the fissile and fertile material to maintain the nuclear chain reaction. The liquid salt also serves as the primary coolant, and as ... Read more
The EPR combines the return of experience of 40 years of operation by EDF, engineering studies and safety principles primarily shared by European countries with a strong foothold in the Asian Market. With Flamanville 3 as the reference, EDF is now in a position of demonstrating what such nuclear technology can bring in low carbon ... Read more
The consequences of a massive use of intermittent renewable energy systems for electricity generation are highlighted using Germany’s renewable electricity data from the last 5 years. The great variability in solar and wind production leads to periods of both massive overproduction and nearly complete shortage of renewable electricity. To compensate this, storage and backup power ... Read more
The University of Liège has more than 20 years of experience in the use of ion beam analysis techniques for cultural heritage research. Some of the recent developments and projects in archaeology, art history and conservation science will be presented during the lecture. The first part addresses the high energy extracted beamline up to 20 ... Read more
Belgium is at the forefront of medical applications of ionizing radiation. Pioneering discoveries and developments have put our country in the unique worldwide position that the entire value chain required for nuclear medicine, that is from target irradiation to (pre)clinical research and practice, is present and of the highest standards. After an introduction of Rad4Med.be, ... Read more
As space research evolves to ensure that crewmembers remain safe, healthy, and productive on long-duration space missions to Mars, the harsh environment of Antarctica provides an appropriate setting in which to conduct preliminary research. Indeed, Antarctica’s climate (winds up to 300 km/h), terrain, temperature (min -90°C), and degree of isolation provide an environment that most ... Read more
For several years, numerous political and legal efforts have been initiated to address the threat of nuclear terrorism by enhancing nuclear security. The latter is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the “prevention and detection of, and response to, theft, sabotage, unauthorized access, illegal transfer or other malicious acts involving nuclear material, ... Read more
SCK•CEN is at the forefront of Heavy Liquid Metal (HLM) nuclear technology worldwide with the development of the MYRRHA accelerator driven system (ADS). MYRRHA is serving since the FP5 EURATOM framework as the backbone of the P&T strategy of the European Commission based on the “4 building Blocks at Engineering level” and fostering the R&D ... Read more
Many OECD member countries are pursuing ambitious objectives in term of both greenhouse gas emission reductions and deployment of variable renewable sources, in particular wind and solar PV. However, the transition towards a low-carbon energy mix and the integration of large shares of variable sources have a profound impact on electricity markets, on the value ... Read more
The vision on nuclear safety has considerably evolved during the last decade. In this presentation we limit ourselves to the European context, with a focus on the Belgian situation. It must be recognised that the Belgian nuclear actors, including the regulator FANC, all face a number of challenges, that will be commented during the presentation: ... Read more
