Nuclear Education and Research Initiative

Activities

International summer school of nuclear power plants and young generation workshop

The international summer school of@nuclear power plants and young generation workshop was held in Tokai-mura in 9 days from July 28 with 57 participants and 22 lecturers. The school covered advanced LWR technologies including nuclear fuels. The participants promoted friendship through the young generation workshop of poster presentation, three parties and a cultural event. 2010 school will be held at UC Berkeley.

For further information: Program & Information

GoNERI-UCB Collaboration Website

The portal website for the GoNERI-UCB collaboration has finally been established. Please access to:

http://goneri.nuc.berkeley.edu/index.html

The information covers all activities for the past two years, handled by the GoNERI Liaison Office at UCB-NE.
We hope the site will be timely updated and be useful for promotion of collaboration. Please feel free to tell Prof. Ahn or Ms. Katsuki if there is anything incorrect, or if you have materials that should be uploaded to this website. Also, feel free to make a link to this website from your websites.

Study on International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Framework from Nuclear Non-Proliferation Viewpoint

A concept for an international nuclear fuel cycle system, involving multi-national control of fuel-cycle facilities, reliable fresh fuel supply, spent fuel management, and peaceful plutonium utilization, is studied and proposed by the Non-proliferation Study Committee at the University of Tokyo. The proposed international fuel cycle system includes both the front-end and back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, i.e., fuel supply (enrichment and fuel fabrication), spent fuel storage, reprocessing, MOX fuel fabrication, and High Level Waste (HLW) repository. The system consists of a network of fuel cycle facilities operated by companies/consortia, located in respective countries (host countries), and offering fuel cycle services to nuclear utilities/companies in user countries. The host countries of the consortia should be responsible for the 3S (fundamentals of safety, security and safeguards) of their fuel cycle facilities, and for preventing the spread of sensitive fuel cycle technologies to user countries without such technologies. Fuel cycle services provided by the consortia in the international (or regional) framework should be commercially competitive. Regional safeguards verification is performed by the multilateral member countries (Regional System of Accounting for and Control of nuclear material; RSAC), complementing the international Safeguards effort which would be provided by IAEA. Nuclear weapon country (NWC) as well as non-nuclear weapon country (NNWC) when participating in the international framework must be under the same system of Safeguards. For purpose of equality, a country can choose its own fuel cycle option. It also has its right to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes (Article IV of NPT) although the country if develops sensitive fuel-cycle technologies should meet the conditions/prerequisites developed by the framework. Therefore, a country can join the framework first as a user country but later can become a fuel cycle country if it can fulfill the conditions/prerequisites established by the framework. The international framework would facilitate partnerships among member countries such that a service of taking back/taking away the spent fuels can be offered to user countries, especially those located in less stable regions. The gtake-backh spent fuel can be stored at centralized facilities in host country(ies) offering such service, and managed by the international or regional framework system under multi-national control for an interim period. Preferably, the host country(ies) offering such storage service would be the NWC as there is less suspicion for the NWCs to divert or misuse the spent fuel for weapons purposes. However, the framework would accept other NNWCs, such as the major uranium producing countries which are capable and willing to offer such storage services for other needed countries. Direct disposal of spent fuels is not considered by the framework because of the long-term effective utilization of nuclear fuels (recovered U and Pu), proliferation concerns of spent fuels (due to the imbedded Pu), and environmental burden. Separated Pu would be utilized for peaceful, effective, and efficient use of nuclear energy, with the aim to prevent unnecessary Pu accumulation. If there is an excess of separated Pu inventory in a NNWC, the framework would facilitate the transfer of the excess Pu inventory (i.e., unplanned for use) to the NWCs willing to take such inventory and to compensate with alternative fuel (such as LEU). The values of plutonium should be properly compensated for by alternative energy resources or economic support. The transferred Pu should be utilized only for the peaceful purpose of nuclear energy under strict control of IAEA Safeguards. Individual country should be responsible for disposal of its own HLW. The international framework would encourage member countries to facilitate regional or international repository(ies) for the final disposal of radioactive wastes. If such international framework system can be realized, it is expected that the proliferation risks would be reduced and the burden of safeguards requirements can be lessened in the expansion of the peaceful use of nuclear energy.(For further information, please see the linked file)

The 2nd UCB-UT Advanced Summer School in Radiation Detection and Measurements

UCB-UT Advanced Summer School in Radiation Detection and Measurements 2009 (SSRDM 2009) will be held at Yatsugatake Lodge of Goto Ikuei Education Foundation in Yamanashi, Japan, from August 5th to 7th 2009. For further information, please access the following website.
http://www.n.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ssrdm2009/

UC Forum in Berkeley, CA

The third UC Forum was held in Berkeley, CA on 11-12 June 2009. The Forum was organized by the newly-formed Berkeley Nuclear Research Center (BNRC), and co-sponsored by the University of California Office of the President, the Nuclear Engineering Department at UC Berkeley, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the University of Tokyo (Todai). The theme of the Forum was gEmerging Nonproliferation and Security Challenges in Nuclear Energy ‚œ Near and Long-Term Solutionsh.

The 2-day Forum was on average attended by about 60-70 experts, academia, young professionals, and students from many campuses including Todai. There were four sessions: (1) Global perspectives on the proliferation risk of nuclear energy expansion, (2) Emerging proliferation resistant and physically secure technologies, (3) Domestic and international governance and regulations, and (4) Meeting the challenges in nonproliferation and physical security. Professor Yusuke Kuno made presentations at Session 1, 2 and 3, and Professor Jor-Shan Choi co-chaired the Session 3. Todai students Lisa Kokaji and Eri Nakatani asked questions and participated in panel discussions.

Before the UC Forum, there was a young professionalsf workshop held at LBNL on 10 June 2009 with a theme of gGlobal Perspectives on Nonproliferation and Nuclear Fuel Cycle.h Dr. and Professor Sigfried Hecker of the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University presented a keynote speech on DPRK. The message was thought-provoking and many students and young professionals showed great interest in the institutional aspects of nuclear energy expansion. Todai students (Kokaji-san and Nakatani-san) were active in serving as rapporteurs for the workshop.

Workshop (June 10, 2009):

UC Forum (June 11-12, 2009):

3rd UC Forum and young professional WS

*The 3rd UC Forum on the Future of Nuclear Power:**Emerging Non-Proliferation and Security Challenges in Nuclear Energy**- Near and Long-Term Solutions - ** was held on June 11-12 and the* Young Professionals Workshop was held on June 13 at UC Berkely.
http://bnrc.berkeley.edu/
It is hosted by Berkely Nuclear Reserach Center of University of California that was established in January 2009. BNRC shares common goal with GoNERI.
http://bnrc.berkeley.edu/bnrc-about.html

Visit to the University of Tokyo by Dr. Baurzhan Duisebayev, Director of Science, Technology and High Education of Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan, On 25 May 2009

Dr. Baurzhan Duisebayev, Director of Science, Technology, and High Education of Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan visited the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management in the University of Tokyo (Todai) on 25 May 2009. Professor Jor-Shan Choi hosted his visit and made arrangement for him to talk with other professors in the Department, including Prof. Oka, Prof. Takahashi, Prof. Tanaka, and Prof. Terai. He also celebrated Baurzhanfs 50th birthday by hosting him on 24 May with a traditional Japanese dinner in Ueno, Tokyo.

Baurzhan came to Todai after a 3-day visit to Osaka University and Kyoto University. He came to Japan with a purpose of engaging the academic and university communities in Japan: (1) to set up an institute of COE (Centre of Excellence) on nuclear knowledge in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and to solicit foreign guest lecturers to give lectures there during summer and winter sessions; (2) to accept specialists from Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan for short-term collaborative projects (6 months or so) so that the specialists can learn and later teach the western knowledge in Kazakhstan.

Picture taken in Prof. Teraifs office during Baurzhanfs visit on 25 May 2009 (from left to right: Dr. Baurzhan Duisebayev, Prof. Takayuki Terai, and Prof. Jor-Shan Choi)

ICAPP '09

International Congress of Advances in Nuclear Power Plants, ICAPP '09 was held in Tokyo on May 10-14, 2009. At opening address, former prime minister Y. Nakasone presented the thinking and circumstances establishing the four fundamental principles of nuclear utilization in Japan; (1) solely for peaceful use, (2) democratic way, (3) self-reliance and (4) openness. The audience of the congress was impressed that the excellent policy of nuclear utilization was established more than 50 years ago in Japan. The principles will be good guidelines for utilization of nuclear energy and technology in the world. Activities of GoNERI program and results of the researches were presented at the congress.

Consortium of SCWR formed

Japanese consortium was formed for meeting the international R&D of SCWR (supercritical-pressure water cooled reactor). The member organizations are Institute of Applied Energy (IEA) as coordinator, University of Tokyo, Kyushu University, Toshiba, Hitachi-GE/Hitachi and Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute.

Tsinhua University net news reported TODAI week events

´‰ØV•·

‚»‚Ì‘¼

¨http://qbar.edu.qq.com/youngtsinghua/3054.htm
¨http://edu.anhuinews.com/system/2008/05/23/002020794.shtml
¨http://gs.whu.edu.cn/newscenter/readnews.asp?newsID=4412
¨http://quchen.cau.edu.cn/news/bencandy.php?fid=76&aid=3061
¨http://www.jyb.com.cn/lx/lxsx/t20080519_163508.htm
¨
¨http://daf.tsinghua.edu.cn/html/xinwen/yx/clx/20080522/12693.html
¨http://www.cideg.org.cn/jiaodian_show.asp?id=556
¨http://qbar.edu.qq.com/youngtsinghua/
¨http://www.moe.edu.cn/edoas/website18/info1211442377676865.htm
¨http://www.implight.net/node/134996
¨http://flash.westu.net/baowangxinwen/xinwenbolan/200805/30764.html

Tsinhua University net news reported TODAI week events (1)

Tsinhua University net news report

Nuclear Education and Research Initiative

Activities

International summer school of nuclear power plants and young generation workshop

GoNERI-UCB Collaboration Website

Study on International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Framework from Nuclear Non-Proliferation Viewpoint

The 2nd UCB-UT Advanced Summer School in Radiation Detection and Measurements

UC Forum in Berkeley, CA

3rd UC Forum and young professional WS

Visit to the University of Tokyo by Dr. Baurzhan Duisebayev, Director of Science, Technology and High Education of Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan, On 25 May 2009

ICAPP '09

Consortium of SCWR formed

Tsinhua University net news reported TODAI week events

l–¯“ú•ñ

‰ÈŠwŽž•ñ

’†‘–Ô

’†‘‹³ˆç–Ô

“ú–{V‰Ø‹¡–Ô

´‰ØV•·(‰p•¶)

´‰ØV•·

‚»‚Ì‘¼

Tsinhua University net news reported TODAI week events (1)

l–¯“ú•ñ

’†‘–Ô

’†‘‹³ˆç–Ô

“ú–{V‰Ø‹¡–Ô

´‰ØV•·(‰p•¶)

´‰ØV•·