Newsroom University of 51��

Renewables and nuclear must work together to reach net zero, new report argues

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:46:51 +0000

Nuclear energy should play an important role in the UK’s net zero future, according to a new report authored by experts from the at 51��.

Titled ‘The road to net zero: renewables and nuclear working together’, the report shines a spotlight on the flexibility of nuclear as an energy source and its potential in a net zero future.

The report offers a fresh perspective on nuclear, which – until now – has not often been seen as a flexible technology because it operates best when run flat out continuously. However, in addition to nuclear reactors producing electricity, the process produces nuclear-enabled heat and hydrogen, a storable standby energy source.

While the experts agree that renewable energy sources should be a major contributor to future energy strategy, there is an argument that nuclear energy can complement the variability of renewables contending with the UK’s island weather system – negating the need to rely on expensive back-up natural gas power plants.

Zara Hodgson, Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at 51�� said: “The time to research, evaluate and plan for the delivery of a clean energy future is now – and the clock is ticking. We hope this report will prompt debate within the energy sector and help to inform policy, so that Great Britain is in the best possible position to meet its ambitious 2050 net zero target.

“Great strides have already been made in driving forward renewable energy initiatives and moving away from fossil fuel burning power plants. And as part of an integrated approach to Great Britain’s future energy mix, nuclear can help ensure gas power plants do not play a key role.”

Included in the report are the Dalton Nuclear Institute’s ten recommendations to government and industry for effective net zero road-mapping, including the need for decision-making on the future energy mix to consider the capacity factors of new and existing infrastructure. The delivery of low-carbon, cost-effective dispatchable electricity must also be prioritised to support the overall system.

Traditionally, proponents of renewables and nuclear have been divided in their viewpoints. However, the report stresses the importance of a joined-up approach where nuclear, renewables, energy storage and hydrogen production can all play their parts in a cleaner, greener future. You can access the full report via the Dalton Nuclear Institute website

Four 51�� Professors recognised in King’s Birthday Honours list

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 22:30:00 +0100

Four professors from 51�� have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours in recognition of their extraordinary contributions and service.

has been awarded an OBE for his services to public health, to epidemiology and to adult social care, particularly during Covid-19, has been awarded an OBE for his for services to the advancement of the science of radiation protection, Professor Paul Klapper has been awarded an OBE for services to viral diagnostic testing, and Professor Paul Howarth has been awarded a CBE for his significant contribution and service to the nuclear industry and to UK research and development (R&D).

The list celebrates individuals who have had an immeasurable impact on the lives of people across the country - such as by creating innovative solutions or driving real change in public life.

Ian Hall is a Professor of Mathematical Epidemiology and Statistics at 51��. He is a long-standing member of SPI-M (the pandemic disease modelling advisory group) and played a critical role in the operations of this group during the swine flu and Covid-19 pandemics.

During the Covid-19 pandemic he was academic chair of the SAGE working group of Social Care and participated in the SAGE Environmental Modelling Group as well as attending SAGE itself. He was also involved in a number of research projects, including the national core study on transmission () and Project TRACK to understand and control the risks on public transport. He also helped analyse data from a new heat map, providing a national picture of the spread over time.

Since the pandemic, Professor Hall has continued working with UKHSA through an honorary contract, notably with Health Equity Division on vaccination strategies in prison and homeless settings.

His other research interests include the impact of diseases on vulnerable populations and the study of vector-borne infectious diseases and environmental infections, such as Legionnaires Disease.

Richard Wakeford is an Honorary Professor in Epidemiology in the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH), having been Professor in Epidemiology at the Centre before retiring at the end of 2019. He specialises in the epidemiology of exposure to ionising radiation, particularly as related to radiological protection.

Professor Wakeford is a member of various committees, including the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and the International Commission on Radiological Protection. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) following the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, and for 25 years was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Radiological Protection.

Richard completed his PhD in high energy physics at the University of Liverpool in 1978 and worked for British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) for nearly 30 years. It was the many challenges faced at BNFL where he developed his skills in radiation epidemiology and radiological protection. He was privileged to work with Sir Richard Doll during this time. After taking early retirement from BNFL, Richard joined the University, initially through an association with Dalton Nuclear Institute and then joining COEH.

Paul Klapper is Professor of Clinical Virology at 51��. He began his career in virology in 1976 working as a laboratory technician at Booth Hall Children’s Hospital. He completed his PhD while working at 51�� Royal Infirmary on the diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis - a topic he continued to work on for over 20 years and led to the development of a reliable molecular diagnostic test for the condition. He also helped establish independent quality assurance testing in the infancy of viral molecular diagnostic testing.

Throughout his career, Professor Klapper has been at the forefront of several key developments of viral diagnostic testing. Notably, he worked with the Greater 51�� Hepatitis C testing strategy, developing community-based testing methods to aid control of the HCV pandemic. In 1981, he became an NHS Clinical Scientist, working in both 51�� and Leeds as a Consultant Clinical Scientist. Ten years later, in 1991 became a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathology.

On retiring from the NHS in 2012, Professor Klapper joined 51�� as a Professor of Clinical Virology. Early in 2020, he volunteered to help with establishment of large scale Covid-19 testing and became the clinical lead for the Alderley Park testing facility. He also served as a Clinical Advisor for testing with the Department of Health.

Professor Klapper continues to conduct vital research in blood-borne virus infection and in congenital human cytomegalovirus infection.

Paul Howarth is Professor of Nuclear Technology at 51�� and Chief Executive of National Nuclear Laboratory.

Professor Howarth has had a distinguished career working in and for the nuclear sector, building a reputation as one of the leading figures in the UK nuclear sector and around the global industry. After completing his degree in Physics and Astrophysics and PhD in Nuclear Physics, he started his career working on the European Fusion Programme. Early in his career he was awarded a prestigious Royal Society Fellowship to work in Japan on their nuclear programme. On returning to the UK he continued to work on nuclear fission leading the UK’s advanced reactor programme while working at British Nuclear Fuels, co-founding the at the University and working closely with UK Government on building the case for new nuclear build.

Professor Howarth was appointed CEO for the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) in 2011 following its creation as a public corporation, having been instrumental in its establishment from British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL). During his tenure as CEO, NNL has been transformed into a successful business and a true national laboratory, delivering profits to reinvest into nuclear science and technology and critical support to nuclear organisations in the public and private sectors.

The birthday honours are awarded by the King following recommendations by the prime minister, senior government ministers, or members of the public.

The awards recognise active community champions, innovative social entrepreneurs, pioneering scientists, passionate health workers and dedicated volunteers who have made significant achievements in public life or committed themselves to serving and helping Britain.

To see the full Birthday Honours List 2024, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-kings-birthday-honours-list-2024

51�� researchers awarded prestigious funding to pursue projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:21:32 +0100

Seven leading 51�� researchers are being awarded highly prestigious designed to provide outstanding research leaders with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs.

Described by the ERC as among the EU’s most prestigious and competitive grants, today’s funding has been awarded to the following senior research leaders:

, Professor of Emerging Optoelectronics, based in the and , to investigate scalable nanomanufacturing paradigms for emerging electronics (SNAP). The program aims to develop sustainable large-area electronics, a potential game-changer in emerging semiconductor markets, that will help reduce society's reliance on current polluting technologies while enabling radically new applications.
, Chair in Evolutionary Biology, in the School of Biological Sciences, to investigate how genomic complexity shapes long-term bacterial evolution and adaptation.
, in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Director of the Photon Science Institute to develop a table-top nuclear facility to produce cold actinide molecules that will enable novel searches for new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics.
Professor Sir Andre Geim, who isolated graphene in 2004 with Professor Sir Konstantin Novoselov, to explore 2D materials and their van der Waals assemblies.
, to lead work into chemically fuelled molecular ratchets. Ratcheting underpins the mechanisms of molecular machinery, gives chemical processes direction, and helps explain how chemistry becomes biology.
, in the Department of Chemistry and 51�� Institute of Biotechnology, to develop enzymatic methods for peptide synthesis (EZYPEP). Peptides are fundamental in life and are widely used as therapeutic agents, vaccines, biomaterials and in many other applications. Currently peptides are produced by chemical synthesis, which is inefficient, expensive, difficult to scale-up and creates a huge amount of harmful waste that is damaging to the environment. EZYPEP will address this problem by developing enzymatic methods for the more sustainable, cleaner and scalable synthesis of peptides, including essential medicines to combat infectious diseases, cancer and diabetes.
, based in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, to explore Top and Higgs Couplings and extended Higgs Sectors with rare multi-Top multi-Higgs Events with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This project aims at deeper insight into the most fundamental properties of nature beyond our current understanding.

51�� received seven of the 42 grants awarded to UK institutions.

The grant recipients will join a community of just 255 awarded ERC advanced grants, from a total of 1,829 submissions.

As a result of today’s announcement, the ERC will be investing nearly €652 million across the 255 projects.

Head of Department for Physics and Astronomy, which received three of the seven grants, said: “Today’s triple award reflects our department’s continued leadership in pioneering research. We’re home to Jodrell Bank, host of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory – set to be the largest radio telescope in the world; the National Graphene Institute – a world-leading centre for 2D material research with the largest clean rooms in European academia; we lead experiments at CERN and Fermilab; and – crucially – we host a world-leading community of vibrant and collaborative researchers like Professors Flanagan, Geim and Peters who lead the way. Today’s announcement recognises their role as outstanding research leaders who will drive the next generation to deliver transformative breakthroughs.”

, Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at 51��, added: “Our University’s history of scientific and engineering research is internationally recognised but it does not constrain us. Instead, it’s the work of our researchers – like the seven leaders celebrated today – and what they decide to do next, that will define us. We are proud to have a culture where responsible risk-taking is nurtured and transformative outcomes delivered, and we look forward to these colleagues using this environment to deliver world-leading and world-changing research.”

, Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, said: "These awards are welcome recognition of the world-leading and transformative frontier science that 51�� researchers are delivering. The compelling and innovative research supported by these ERC awards builds on the excellent local environment at 51�� and are cornerstones of the University’s strategy for excellence and leadership in research and innovation. The positive and real-world global impact from these research awards could deliver are genuinely tangible.

"As we enter our third century, the awards made in a highly competitive environment, are evidence that we do so with a continued pioneering approach to discovery and the pursuit of knowledge that our research community was built on."

Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth at the ERC, said: “This investment nurtures the next generation of brilliant minds. I look forward to seeing the resulting breakthroughs and fresh advancements in the years ahead.”

The ERC grants are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

University awarded £30 million to train the next generation of science and engineering researchers through four new Centres for Doctoral Training

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Four Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) will train more than 350 doctoral students after being awarded over £30m funding.
The CDTs will support in developing the UK’s skills base in critical technologies by training students to tackle key challenges such as meeting net-zero targets through advanced materials, nuclear energy, robotics and AI.
51�� is in the top three most-awarded institutions for CDTs after University of Bristol and University College London, and equal to University of Edinburgh.

51�� has been awarded £30 million funding by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for four Centres for Doctoral Training as part of the UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) £500 million investment in engineering and physical sciences doctoral skills across the UK.

Building on 51��’s long-standing record of sustained support for doctoral training, the new CDTs will boost UK expertise in critical areas such as advanced materials, AI, and nuclear energy.

The CDTs include:

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in 2D Materials of Tomorrow (2DMoT) - with cross-disciplinary research in the science and applications of two-dimensional materials, this CDT will focus on a new class of advanced materials with potential to transform modern technologies, from clean energy to quantum engineering. Led by , Professor of Physics at 51��.
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training Developing National Capability for Materials 4.0 - this CDT will bring together students from a range of backgrounds in science and engineering to drive forward the digitalisation of materials research and innovation. Led by , Professor of Applied Mathematics at 51�� and the Henry Royce Institute.
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and AI for Net Zero - this CDT will train and develop the next generation of multi-disciplinary robotic systems engineers to help revolutionise lifecycle asset management, in support of the UK’s Net Zero Strategy. Led by , Reader in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at 51��.
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in SATURN (Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear) - the primary aim of SATURN is to provide high quality research training in science and engineering, underpinning nuclear fission technology. Led by , Professor of Nuclear Chemistry at 51��.

51�� received joint-third most awards across UK academia, and will partner with University of Cambridge, University of Glasgow, Imperial College London, Lancaster University, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, University of Oxford, University of Sheffield, University of Strathclyde and the National Physical Laboratory to prepare the next generation of researchers, specialists and industry experts across a wide range of sectors and industries.

In addition to leading these four CDTs, 51�� is also collaborating as a partner institution on the following CDTs:

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fusion Power, based at University of York.
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Aerosol Science: Harnessing Aerosol Science for Improved Security, Resilience and Global Health, based at University of Bristol.
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing, based at Cardiff University.

Along with institutional partnerships, all CDTs work with industrial partners, offering opportunities for students to develop their skills and knowledge in real-world environments which will produce a pipeline of highly skilled researchers ready to enter industry and take on sector challenges.

Professor Scott Heath, Associate Dean for Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers at 51�� said of the awards: “We are delighted that the EPSRC have awarded this funding to establish these CDTs and expose new cohorts to the interdisciplinary experience that researching through a CDT encourages. By equipping the next generation of researchers with the expertise and skills necessary to tackle complex issues, we are laying the groundwork for transformative solutions that will shape industries and societies for generations to come.”

Announced by Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan, this round of funding is the largest investment in engineering and physical sciences doctoral skills to-date, totalling more than £1 billion. Science and Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan, said: “As innovators across the world break new ground faster than ever, it is vital that government, business and academia invests in ambitious UK talent, giving them the tools to pioneer new discoveries that benefit all our lives while creating new jobs and growing the economy.

“By targeting critical technologies including artificial intelligence and future telecoms, we are supporting world class universities across the UK to build the skills base we need to unleash the potential of future tech and maintain our country’s reputation as a hub of cutting-edge research and development.”

These CDTs join the already announced . This CDT led by , Senior Lecturer in Machine Learning at 51��, will train the next generation of AI researchers to develop AI methods designed to accelerate new scientific discoveries – specifically in the fields of astronomy, engineering biology and material science.

The first cohort of AI CDT, SATURN CDT and Developing National Capability for Materials 4.0 CDT students will start in the 2024/2025 academic year, recruitment for which will begin shortly. 2DMoT CDT and RAINZ CDT will have their first cohort in 2025/26.

For more information about the University of 51��'s Centres for Doctoral Training, please visit:

Dalton Nuclear Institute Appoints Zara Hodgson as New Director

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 10:24:06 +0000

51��’s Dalton Nuclear Institute is delighted to welcome Professor Zara Hodgson as its new Director, effective from 15 February 2024.

Zara takes over the reins from Professor Francis Livens who has been at the Institute’s helm since January 2016, and from Professor Clint Sharrad, who has held the role of Acting Director since April last year.

Prior to joining the University, Zara was seconded from the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)to the Nuclear Innovation & Research Office (NIRO) as a Senior Technical Advisor. From 2020 to 2024, Zara was embedded full-time – via NIRO - in the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) where she led on nuclear fuel supply and capability policy.

At NNL, Zara was Universities Champion, leading on all NNL’s engagement with academia in research, teaching, outreach and partnered delivery. This role spanned a portfolio of over 100 projects, representing a UK investment in cutting edge science, engineering and training in excess of £10 million.

Concurrently, she was the Technical Lead for NNL’s activities in pyroprocessing technology (molten salts) within the DESNZ Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme. She has expertise in strategic engineering design and technical feasibility studies in the areas of spent fuel and nuclear materials management.

Zara commented:
“With the bicentennial celebrations of the University of 51��’s foundation underway and the publication of HMG’s Civil Nuclear Roadmap to 2050 framing UK nuclear ambitions, I’m so excited to be joining the Dalton Nuclear Institute team as its new Director!”

Zara will now lead the Institute, with support from Clint, who is now appointed Deputy Director. Clint, a graduate of the University of Queensland in Australia, will continue his role of Professor of Nuclear Engineering at 51�� alongside his position in the Dalton Institute.

Clint commented:
“There are so many opportunities emerging across the nuclear landscape especially in the areas of new nuclear build, process development and waste management. Dalton colleagues are closely linked into these interests and the talented students and researchers passing through our doors are ideally placed to experience long and exciting careers in the sector, should they wish to.”

Francis Livens added:
“Whilst it’s been a huge privilege for me to lead the Dalton Nuclear Institute, it’s now time for new leadership to take over, and I’m delighted to pass the baton to Zara and Clint. I’m focusing more on my external roles as Chair of NIRAB and as a Non Executive Director of the NDA, and really looking forward to supporting the new team.”

We warmly welcome Zara and Clint to their new roles.

MoU signed for collaborative nuclear research and development

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 15:40:15 +0000

The Dalton Nuclear Institute has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canadian company Kinectrics, a global provider of nuclear lifecycle services, to facilitate the progression of nuclear research, development of highly qualified personnel, as well as the commercialisation of novel nuclear technologies.

Together, the organisations will utilise this collaboration to help advance innovations in key focus areas including fission fuel cycle nuclear energy, fusion power, nuclear energy and plant life extension. This MoU will create a strong framework to build and develop talent in the nuclear industry, as well as leverage key strengths between both organisations.

Professor Clint Sharrad, Acting Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute, said: "The strategic goals of Kinectrics align very closely with what we are aiming to achieve at the Dalton Nuclear Institute.

“This relationship provides a significant opportunity for the Dalton community to strengthen and expand collaborative opportunities with Canada and the broader North American region that are emerging in fission and fusion. We look forward to exploring these research and impact activities with Kinectrics."
Kinectrics is the category leader in providing lifecycle management services for the electricity industry. They offer life cycle management services across the world with key interests in nuclear energy (both fission and fusion) and medical industries.

David Harris, President, and CEO of Kinectrics, said: “Kinectrics is proud to work with Dalton Nuclear Institute to foster innovative research opportunities and advance the next generation of nuclear talent. This MoU also provides a unique opportunity to deepen our ties with esteemed academic institutions in the United Kingdom and expand on our growing international footprint.”

University of 51�� awarded UKAEA funding for fusion development

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 10:34:26 +0000

51�� has been awarded £1.3m by the UK Atomic Energy Authority for the development of lithium technologies for fusion.

The research will deliver a method to produce enriched lithium in the quantities needed to make breeder blankets for deuterium-tritium fusion reactors. This allows tritium, which is an extremely scarce resource, to be produced inside the reactor. Thereby solving the challenge of how to fuel fusion reactors.

Dr Kathryn George will lead the project in collaboration with Prof Philip Martin, Prof Clint Sharrad and Dr Laurence Stamford from 51��’s Chemical Engineering department, Prof Bruce Hanson at the University of Leeds and Global Nuclear Security Partners Ltd.

UKAEA launched the new Fusion Industry Programme challenge ‘Realising the potential of lithium in an economic, sustainable and scalable fusion energy fuel-cycle’ in early 2023, encouraging organisations to develop and evaluate prototypes of lithium technology.

In total, five organisations have secured six contracts worth £7.4m in total with UKAEA to develop lithium technology for fusion energy. The four universities and one company have received contracts ranging between £700,000 and £1.5m from UKAEA’s ‘Fusion Industry Programme’.

Tim Bestwick, UKAEA’s Chief Development Officer, said: “Fusion energy continues to feature on the world stage, with recent commitments being made at COP28 to develop fusion as a sustainable, low carbon source of energy for future generations.

“The Fusion Industry Programme is encouraging the development of UK industrial fusion capacity and preparing the UK fusion industry for the future global fusion power plant market.

“The organisations that have been awarded these contracts have successfully demonstrated their lithium technology concepts and will now develop them to the ‘proof of concept’ stage.”

The latest contracts follow the award of Fusion Industry Programme contracts earlier in 2023, focused on digital engineering and fusion fuel requirements, and more recently materials and manufacturing, and heating and cooling technologies.

Mayor Andy Burnham visits Dalton Nuclear Institute

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 15:45:00 +0000

The Dalton Nuclear Institute recently welcomed Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater 51��, onto its 51�� campus to discuss nuclear research at the University and the role of the nuclear sector in 51�� and across the North West.

The Mayor and his team met with Institute Acting Director Professor Clint Sharrad, and Associate Directors Professors Scott Heath and Adrian Bull to discuss the Institute’s unique breadth of research, focus on nuclear skills development and impact through policy engagement work.

Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation Professor Richard Curry, Head of the School of Engineering Professor Sarah Cartmell, and Associate Dean for Research Institutes Professor Stuart Holmes discussed the important role the University has to play in contributing to the UK’s Net Zero ambitions nationally through research and teaching, as well as to the Greater 51�� region. There was also an opportunity during the visit to hear from some of the Institute’s young researchers about their work.

The Mayor heard about the University’s world-leading facilities, including the Henry Royce Institute Hub, where the meeting was held, with Professor Abbie Jones, Head of the Nuclear Graphite Research Group, in attendance. Professors Barry Lennox and Fred Currell highlighted our nuclear network across the North West, extending into Cumbria where the Dalton Cumbrian Facility and the Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo1) serve as vital hubs in the heart of the nuclear industry.

Mayor Andy Burnham said: “It was a pleasure to visit 51�� and meet with so many talented and enthusiastic people from the Dalton Nuclear Institute and elsewhere in the university working on nuclear research. An incredible amount of work is done in the nuclear industry by the university, an industry that is growingly important for the UK.

“This research also importantly includes decommissioning and the cleaning-up of the UK’s public sector nuclear facilities as well as discovering new ways to manage and dispose of the nuclear legacy to protect our environment. Many interesting discussions were had on energy, skills, the economy and collaboration with the Dalton Nuclear Institute, a great asset for our city-region.”

Acting Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute, Professor Clint Sharrad said: “We were delighted to welcome the Mayor and his team to the University today and I was pleased to find we have so many areas of common interest, especially in skills, training and education.

“Nuclear is at the heart of the economy across the North West of England, and we all recognised what a great opportunity the sector offers in addressing future energy needs for the country while also providing pathways for young people setting out on their career journeys, as well as those who are mid-career and looking for a new challenge.

“It was refreshing to hear Andy’s strong support for all that we are doing, and we will be having further conversations to make sure we maximise the opportunity for adding value to the region’s economy.”

University of 51�� to lead Sellafield’s new Centre of Expertise in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 08:48:00 +0000

51�� will lead an academic consortium to support Sellafield’s new Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Centre of Expertise.

The purpose of the consortium will be to provide Sellafield Ltd with technical support as it delivers its long-term objectives of safely inspecting and decommissioning their facilities using remote technologies.

Sellafield Ltd have made considerable progress with the deployment of robots to address challenges on its site. However, there are many challenges that remain, many of which cannot be solved using currently available commercial technologies.

The academic consortium will be led by Professor Barry Lennox and Dr Simon Watson at 51�� and supported by groups at The University of Bristol, led by Professor Tom Scott, and The University of Oxford, led by Professor Nick Hawes. Sellafield Ltd’s engagement with the academic consortium will be led by its Robotics and Manufacturing Lead, Dr Melissa Willis.

Melissa Willis, Robotics and Manufacturing Research Lead at Sellafield Ltd, added: “We are excited by the opportunities that this consortium provides us with and are confident that their technical expertise will help us to deliver the benefits that robotics technology offers us on the Sellafield site.”

The consortium has considerable experience of working with Sellafield Ltd, having all been involved in the RAIN (Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear) hub, and more recently 51�� has provided the academic leadership for the Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo) in Cumbria.

Experience of the consortium includes the design, development and deployment of mobile robots in a range of air, land and aquatic environments in the UK and overseas.

Working collaboratively with Sellafield Ltd, researchers at 51�� developed AVEXIS, which can be deployed into aquatic facilities with access ports as small as 150 mm and collect visual and radiometric data. The commercial version of AVEXIS was the first robot to be deployed into Sellafield’s Magnox Swarf Storage Silos and its use at Fukushima Daiichi has been explored.

The University of Oxford’s Robotics Institute (ORI) have developed a range of mapping and mission planning technologies that can be used by robots, such as Boston Dynamics’ Spot to autonomously monitor facilities and identify unexpected changes.

Using quadrotor and fixed wing vehicles, the University of Bristol have developed technology able to map radioactivity levels over large areas of land. The technology has been deployed successfully in the UK and overseas, with the image showing a radiation dose map generated over the Red Forest area of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine, with the orange/red areas showing regions of elevated gamma dose rates.

Dalton Nuclear Institute win top Academy award for its work in nuclear decommissioning

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 16:39:35 +0100

The Dalton Nuclear Institute at 51�� has won the 2023 Bhattacharyya Award in recognition of its “stellar” academia-industry collaboration with the nuclear decommissioning sector.

The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Bhattacharyya Award is open to UK universities and colleges that have demonstrated a sustained, strategic industrial partnership that has benefitted society and is deserving of national recognition.

The Dalton Nuclear Institute was recognised for its work to provide expertise for quicker, safer nuclear decommissioning.

The UK has been a nuclear nation for 75 years and has accumulated one of the largest, most complex nuclear legacies on Earth. Since 2002, government has focused on cleaning up this legacy, and since 2005, has been working with the Dalton Nuclear Institute coordinating the UK’s most comprehensive nuclear academic community at 51�� to deliver skilled people, impactful research and support for government policy development.

The team was presented with their award, including a £25,000 prize, which will be used for schools outreach, at a ceremony in Birmingham on Tuesday, 24 October.

Professor Francis Livens, Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute from 2015 to 2023 said: “It’s a great privilege to receive the Bhattacharyya Award, recognising our collaboration with the nuclear decommissioning sector. We are extremely proud of this collaboration – we have built these relationships over more than two decades, and they have involved several hundred researchers across multiple disciplines. Thank you to the Royal Academy of Engineering, to our partners in industry and to all those whose work contributed to delivering safer, cleaner and cheaper decommissioning of our nuclear legacy.”

The University was one of two winners of the award. Loughborough University and its industrial partner adidas came joint winners for its work in developing sports equipment and clothing for improved performance, safety.

Professor Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FREng FRS, former President of the Academy and Chair of this year’s judging panel, said: “Engineering is essential to every aspect of our lives, as demonstrated by our two winning collaborations. Both of these fascinating partnerships, developed over many years, demonstrate sustained innovation and impact in the vastly different areas of sports equipment design and nuclear decommissioning.

“From cricket helmets and sportswear to advising on deep disposal of nuclear waste, these engineering teams show the value of successful collaboration between academia and industry. The judges decided unanimously that they were both equally worthy winners.”

The Bhattacharyya Award is funded by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and was set up in tribute to the late Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya KT CBE FREng FRS, Regius Professor of Manufacturing at the University of Warwick and founder of WMG.

Dalton in running for Bhattacharyya Award

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 11:52:00 +0100

The Dalton Nuclear Institute is one of six entries shortlisted for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s prestigious Bhattacharyya Award, which celebrates collaboration between academia and industry.

The Royal Academy of Engineering has recognised the Institute for its innovative and impactful partnership with the nuclear decommissioning sector – a collaboration that has made UK nuclear decommissioning cleaner, faster, safer and cheaper.

The Bhattacharyya Award is a tribute to Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya KT CBE FREng FRS, the Regius Professor of Manufacturing at the University of Warwick and founder of WMG who advocated for greater collaboration between industry and universities. Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the annual Bhattacharyya Award is open to UK universities and colleges that have demonstrated a sustained, strategic industrial partnership that has benefitted society and is deserving of national recognition.

Professor Francis Livens said: “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for this award. Nuclear decommissioning is a huge challenge worldwide and currently costs the UK over £3.5 billion per year. As the largest and most complete nuclear community in UK academia, 51�� has not just collaborated with industry but, over decades, it has shaped, and continues to shape, the entire sector, working with Governments, regulators, and across the industry.”

The University's video entry

Professor Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FREng FRS, former President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chair of the judging panel for the Bhattacharyya Award, said: “The six finalists for this year’s Award are inspiring and diverse examples of successful collaboration between academia and industry—it’s terrific to be able to highlight and to celebrate their innovation and impact and I hope they will provide inspiration for others. We know that there are other great partnerships like these between universities and colleges and industries across the UK in all sectors but that we need many more if we are to fully reap the economic and societal benefit of our research investment and capability.”

The Bhattacharyya Award 2023 will be presented alongside a cash prize of £25,000 to the team who best demonstrate how industry and universities can work together. The six finalists have each created a video highlighting their collaborations. The winner will be announced on the evening of 24 October 2023 at a ceremony at the Edgbaston Park Hotel in Birmingham that will showcase the shortlisted partnerships.

Dalton Nuclear Institute is Inclusion and Diversity Trailblazer

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 14:42:00 +0100

The Dalton Nuclear Institute – like the rest of 51�� - is committed to creating an environment where diversity is celebrated and everyone is treated fairly, regardless of gender, gender identity, disability, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital or transgender status, age, or nationality. Becoming an Academic Partner of IDN for 2023 is one way in which we are helping to make sure the Institute is a welcoming and supportive environment for all. This partnership signals our shared intent to provide research and insights to help the nuclear industry and associated academic institutions become more inclusive and equitable.

Prof. Adrian Bull of the Dalton Nuclear Institute said: “The issues around diversity and inclusion are important in any sector – but especially so for nuclear, given the expected high demand for new recruits in the near future. Although the focus is often on industry, these issues are just as critical in academia as the recruitment ground for many of the skills needs in nuclear. We’re delighted that the Dalton Institute is the first Academic Partner for IDN and we look forward to working closely together as we go forward.”

IDN is a not-for-profit initiative founded in 2019 and aims to provide useful and practical information and support around inclusion, equity and diversity. IDN co-founder Monica Mwanje said: “We are delighted about this new academic partnership with the Dalton Nuclear Institute. Their expertise and reach make for an exciting and reciprocally informative partnership. ”

ABOUT DALTON NUCLEAR INSTITUTE
51��'s Dalton Nuclear Institute is home to the most comprehensive nuclear research portfolio in UK academia. We bring together the skills and expertise of 51��'s exceptional research community, spanning three faculties to coordinate a unique breadth of expertise - covering the full fission fuel cycle, key aspects of fusion, health and social research.

Bringing this community together, the Dalton Nuclear Institute acts as an authoritative, trusted source of information, engaging actively with the public, media, stakeholders, and government, and contributing to important national and international conversations around nuclear energy.

ABOUT INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY IN NUCLEAR
Inclusion and Diversity in Nuclear is a not-for-profit initiative founded in 2019 and aims to provide useful and practical information and support around inclusion, equity and diversity. It provides a space for leaders/managers/individuals within the nuclear industry to share ideas and experiences, ask questions and work together to drive a more inclusive working culture.

For more information please visit: . Follow Inclusion and Diversity in Nuclear on X/Twitter . Please direct any queries to info@idnuclear.com

51�� launches new robotics research centre to support a net zero future

Thu, 25 May 2023 10:40:22 +0100

A new international research centre designed to create robotics and autonomous systems that will play a key role in the climate response has been developed in partnership with and .

The Centre for Robotic Autonomy in Demanding and Long-lasting Environments (CRADLE) will research new technologies for demanding and heavily regulated industry sectors such as space, nuclear decommissioning, energy generation and urban infrastructure.

It will work to find advances such as autonomous inspection and repair systems to extend the life of water and energy networks, roads, bridges and railways, that will support the work towards net zero targets.

The new partnership makes use of the research and expertise already being delivered in this area at the University. Last year, the Centre for Robotics and AI developed a robot called Lyra to help transform nuclear infrastructure inspection. The team have also contributed to the project, which worked to build a folding drone to allow Network Rail to inspect mine workings quicker, cheaper and with less risk.

Professor Barry Lennox, University of 51��’s Centre for Robotics and AI Co-Director, said: “CRADLE provides 51��’s recently established Centre for Robotics and AI with the opportunity to build a relationship with one of the leading organisations involved in applied robotics, helping us to progress our fundamental research in this area, and enabling us deliver impact from the robotic and AI systems that we are developing.”

The center will be co-funded to a total value of $11 million (£8.75 million) over five years by 51��, American international engineering company Jacobs, and the Prosperity Partnerships program, which fosters links between academia and industry. Further in-kind contributions will bring the total up to £10 million.

CRADLE’s research remit covers mechatronics, software and how communities and regulators will engage with future robotic systems.

51�� will support 12 PhD students in conducting research and performing prototype demonstrations in its Electrical Engineering & Electronics and Computer Science departments, the and at Jacobs’ robotics laboratories in Warrington.

Karen Wiemelt, Jacobs Energy, Security & Technology Senior Vice President, said: “Securing this prestigious Prosperity Partnerships grant allows Jacobs and 51�� to research the autonomous systems that industry needs to solve today’s challenges and create a more connected and sustainable world.

“Robotics is already a core strength of Jacobs’ work in the energy and space sectors and this research collaboration will enable us to develop advanced technologies to help achieve Net Zero targets.”

Dr Andrew Bourne, Director of Partnerships at EPSRC, added: “Prosperity Partnerships demonstrate how business and academia can come together to co-create and co-deliver research and innovation that address industry-driven challenges and deliver economic and societal impact. These new projects showcase the breadth of research and innovation in the UK, covering a wider range of sectors, and support the UK’s ambitions to be a science superpower and an innovation nation.”

The project is initiatives receiving part of £149 million, funded jointly by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation. This includes £4 million from UKRI’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC). This public funding is being matched by a further £88 million from academia and business.

All 19 projects are a significant investment in the UK’s future and are expected to make a real difference to people’s lives.

New Prime Minister must lift existing barriers if nuclear energy is to help meet net zero target – new report

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 13:57:47 +0100

Experts from 51��’s Dalton Nuclear Institute - the largest and most advanced nuclear research capability in UK academia - have called on the government to do more to support the advancement of the UK’s nuclear energy capabilities, or risk failure in meeting its target of net zero by 2050.

The calls are accompanied by the publication of a new report authored by the senior leadership team at the Institute, which examines the obstacles that have prevented the adoption of advanced nuclear in the UK.

The new paper called, ‘, also sets out key recommendations on how the government can better facilitate a successful ‘Three Wave’ rollout of nuclear energy in the UK.

This would see the staggered introduction of more traditional Light Water Reactors (LWRs), followed by their scaled down successor Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). SMR technology is set to gain regulatory approval by 2024, with Rolls Royce planning to design and deliver the UK’s first SMR by 2029.

Finally, Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) in the form of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) make up the third wave, with ambitions to build an HTGR demonstrator by the early 2030s. HTGRs have additional utility beyond LWRs and SMRs, in that they can provide high temperature heat for use by industry in hydrogen generation.

Recommendations made in the report include quicker decision making to ensure that progress is made at the correct pace, as well as calls for the government to make a long-term commitment to the advancement of nuclear technology and to recognise the important role it has to play in reaching net zero.

The report comes as the Conservatives prepare to choose a new party leader and Prime Minister. The authors are urging the new administration to prioritise the advancement of nuclear power in the UK as a key policy in tackling the climate crisis.

Adrian Bull, BNFL chair in Nuclear Energy Systems at 51��’s Dalton Nuclear Institute, said: “Following the publication of the Energy Security Strategy in April, it is now clear that the UK government sees a significant role for nuclear energy both in meeting the UK’s legally binding commitment to net zero, and in enhancing energy security.

The full recommendations, as outlined in the report, are:

1. Government should develop, and communicate to the market, estimates of the size and utilisation of the potential HTGR fleet, including the power output of reactors envisaged, and the end use of the heat output.

2. Clear decisions should be made by government, for example in government-led competitions, to provide certainty to the market. While this will create winners and losers, government should be clear, consistent, and courageous in its decision making.

3. Government should make a clear, decades-long commitment to support advanced nuclear systems.

4. Nuclear programmes must move at the pace required to meet the 2050 net zero deadline, and government processes need to be able to keep up.

5. Developers should make efforts to engage early with regulators, to finalise a mature design and to establish a clear plan for the development of a site license holding entity. This should cover the whole span from reactor building, to decommissioning, and vacation of the site.

6. Fleet build of SMRs and HTGRs, combined with modular construction, are essential to achieve acceptable economics for these reactors. Competitions must be for quanta of work that are sufficiently large to justify investment by developers and sufficiently infrequent that they do not add significant delay to the programme.

7. To enable early, cost-competitive financing of nuclear investments, government should ensure that its developing Green Taxonomy properly reflects the sustainability benefits of nuclear energy and does not exaggerate its drawbacks.

The full report can be read here -

51�� graduate wins Materials Science Thesis Prize

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 09:49:27 +0100

Joe Mahmoud, who completed his PhD at 51�� in December 2021, has won the prestigious 2022 Materials Science Thesis Prize – jointly sponsored by AWE and the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers.

His thesis concentrated on the development of new methods for the rapid separation of americium from complex matrices. This research has many practical applications and is particularly pertinent to nuclear fuel reprocessing, environmental remediation and nuclear forensics.

Joe now works at the National Nuclear Laboratory in the Special Nuclear Material and Separations Science team.

He was presented with his Thesis Medal by the Master of Armourers and Brasiers' Company Nicky Davies, along with AWE Head of Outreach Professor Norman Godfrey, at the Materials Science Forum – held at the University of Cambridge in June.

Joe said: "It is a great honour to be awarded the AWE Armourers and Brasiers Thesis Prize 2022. I feel that it is a fantastic recognition of all the hard work that myself and my supervisors, both at 51�� and AWE, put into the project to overcome several challenges, not least of which were those imposed by the national lockdowns.

"Moreover, I am very proud to be representing a radiochemistry project as the winner of the 2022 prize as I think it serves as a great reminder as to the interdisciplinary nature of materials science and nuclear science and engineering more generally. I very much look forward to continued collaboration with both the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers and AWE in the future."

Inaugurated in 2019, the prize is awarded annually for the best thesis on a materials science theme produced by an AWE sponsored postgraduate student and published in the 12 months preceding the judging. The process is initiated by an invitation to industrial supervisors within AWE to nominate their sponsored student(s), and the shortlisted theses are then judged by a panel of distinguished specialists for presentation, readability and scientific content.

Nicky Davies said: "Our modern charitable purpose is to make the UK the best place to study, research and practise materials science. Through this award given in partnership with AWE, we are delighted to recognise Joe's impressive research at the start of his career as a professional scientist specialising in materials science."

A robot called Lyra is helping transform nuclear infrastructure inspection

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 10:55:33 +0100

A robot named Lyra has been used to inspect a ventilation duct in Dounreay’s redundant nuclear laboratories and map radioactive materials. Lyra traversed 140m of duct from a single entry point and provided operators with detailed radiological characterisation information that can now be used to help plan safe and efficient decommissioning of the laboratories.

Previously, gaining this amount of detailed information would be complex and, even where possible, it would require operations staff to make additional airline suit entries into contaminated areas, increasing cost and elevating risk. Human access to this area is currently impossible due to the size of the duct and radiological risks.

This deployment has proven that mobile robots can be used to accelerate the pace of decommissioning legacy nuclear facilities in the UK, while at the same time reducing the risk to humans, decreasing costs and even reducing the amount of additional low-level waste that is generated during decommissioning.

Lyra’s Design

Lyra was designed as a low-cost robot, featuring 5 radiation detectors, a laser scanner for positioning, 2 cameras, lights and a manipulator arm that was used to take swab samples of the radioactive contamination from the wall or floor of the duct. Lyra was developed by researchers at 51��, working within the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear (RAIN) Hub and with considerable guidance from technical and operations staff at Dounreay Site Remediation Ltd (DSRL).

Lyra was fitted with tracks and given a relatively high ground clearance to enable it to clear the considerable amounts of rubble that lay in the duct. The radiation sensing package was designed to be able to measure beta, gammas, x-ray, and neutrons radiations and a 5 DOF manipulator was attached to enable it to collect swabs for further radiological analysis at the site laboratories

Cameras were attached to the front of Lyra and to the end of the manipulator. The camera attached to the manipulator allowed for detailed inspection of any areas of interest that were identified during the survey. Lyra is controlled via joypad, which is used for driving, and a compliant manipulator arm whose motion is copied by the arm on the robot.

The radiation sensing package coupled with the LIDAR radar, live camera footage enabled a 3D, time stamped video to be developed with the radiation readings as measured overlayed onto the video such that any point of interest or high radiation measurement could be pin pointed at any selected location within the duct.

Lyra was untethered, but did incorporate a winch retrieval mechanism, which could be used to drag Lyra back to an access point in the event of a loss of power, or to shift it off rubble if it became beached. An independent, remote reset was also incorporated onto Lyra. This was a wireless device that enabled Lyra to perform a ‘hard reset’ if necessary.

The Deployment

The deployment of Lyra was completed in partnership with the operations team at DSRL and the figure below shows an image of the access port, within containment, that Lyra was deployed through. The frame that is being inserted provides additional cameras, lighting and back-up communications.

Following the successful deployment of Lyra, DSRL Project Manager Jason Simpson said: “DSRL is greatly indebted to the team from 51��, their efforts coupled with that of FIS360 Managing Director Frank Allison have clearly demonstrated the substantial benefits to be gained through collaborative working with the supply chain. Now that the characterisation survey is complete, we have built up a comprehensive picture of the duct which will help us make informed decisions on how the duct will be decommissioned going forward.

“Although it is recognised that the incentives to succeed differed for all parties, the enthusiasm and commitment from Frank Allison, Barry Lennox, Matthew Nancekievill, Keir Groves and the rest of the team at 51��, ensured our objectives ultimately aligned to culminate in the successful deployment and data capture witnessed via Lyra.”

RAIN Hub Director Barry Lennox added: “We wanted to demonstrate that the robot could be used successfully in active areas. We added fail safe devices, including a remote “reboot” switch, and a winch to enable us to physically retrieve the robot if it got stuck on the debris in the duct. The survey has demonstrated Lyra’s reliability in active areas.”

The deployment was supported by innovation and technology transfer specialists, FIS360. Their Managing Director, Frank Allison said: “The development and deployment of Lyra highlights the benefits that robotics technology offers the nuclear industry and the importance of academia, end-users and businesses in the supply chain working together. It is only through collaborative working, like this, that solutions can be developed for complex challenges, such as surveying the Dounreay duct.”

The research team are grateful for the use of the Lyra robot, which was made available for this work through the NNUF Hot Robotics Programme.

The Lyra robot is one example of mobile robotic platforms designed for inspection of hazardous environments and is commercially available through Ice Nine Ltd

For further information regarding this work, please see:

51�� outlines key actions for nuclear energy

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 11:03:00 +0000

Nuclear experts at 51�� have outlined some of the key actions needed to deliver a responsible nuclear sector in the UK’s net zero future.

‘Siting Implications of Nuclear Energy: A path to net zero’, maps the nine actions required to understand the whole nuclear energy lifecycle better, to help ensure the sector can realistically and responsibly deliver the scale of development required.

Authored by the senior leadership team at , home to the largest and most advanced nuclear research capability in UK academia, the paper considers how policymakers and industry decision makers should tackle key issues such as spent fuel and waste management strategies, safety standards for licensing (and de-licensing) sites, the kind of legacy we might tolerate from our nuclear sector and the role of local communities in determining the suitability of sites for nuclear development.

Professor Francis Livens, Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute explains: “In the UK, nuclear energy seems at last to be returning to the fore after decades of comparative, if productive, obscurity. With the expansion necessary to help deliver our net zero ambition and the new applications envisaged for nuclear energy, the limited number of nominated nuclear sites in the UK is insufficient. Delivering on these ambitions will therefore require new nuclear sites to be identified, and new communities to accept nuclear facilities.

“This is not a trivial task, and common to all discussions about nuclear energy generation is the ever-present question of waste. Now would be a good time to ask ourselves questions concerning our future waste policy.

“Delivery of nuclear energy is a complex process, and we must aim to understand the whole lifecycle if we are to make the right decisions. This report aims to further discussion on the matter and provides recommendations on how to use nuclear energy responsibly to deliver net zero.”

Co-author Professor Gregg Butler continues: “It is only by addressing this issue now, taking time to understand the impact of the whole lifecycle, that we can achieve the scale of siting required.

“In this paper, we set out recommendations for a future waste policy that – once in place – will ensure the path is clear for nuclear energy to deliver on its net zero potential.”

The paper has been co-authored by Dr William Bodel, Prof Gregg Butler and Prof Adrian Bull. Read

at 51�� is a world-leading cross-disciplinary nuclear research institute, providing research across the whole fuel cycle, delivering impact to industry, governments and regulators, and supporting the UK’s long term nuclear ambition.

is one of 51��’s - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

Scientists report breakthrough in transuranium actinide chemical bonding

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 14:21:50 +0000

Scientists from 51�� have managed to successfully make a transuranium complex where the central metal, here neptunium, forms a multiple bond to just one other element. Enabling study of such a bonding interaction in isolation for the first time is a key breakthrough for nuclear waste clean-up.

Reported in the journal, , a group of researchers from The University 51��, the European Commission Joint Research Centre Karlsruhe, and Los Alamos National Laboratory successfully prepared and characterised this long-sought transuranium chemical bonding scenario in an isolable compound.

The study of metal-element multiple bond interactions is an enormous area of research in chemistry with decades of intensive investigations that have sought to understand chemical bonding, reactivity, catalysis, and separations applications. Where actinide-element multiple bonding is concerned, there is much interest in exploiting understanding of chemical bonding (covalency) in extraction studies, because this could inform attempts to separate and clean up nuclear waste.

However, whilst metal-element multiple bond investigations are routinely reported and well established across the Periodic Table right up to uranium, the heaviest element to occur naturally in significant quantities, investigations involving transuranium elements, which are elements that come after uranium in the Periodic Table such as neptunium, have been restricted due to the need to conduct work on such radioactive elements in specialist facilities.

Inevitably with restricted experimental work for transuranium-element multiple bonding the transfer of knowledge from fundamental studies in this area to inform potential separations applications is low.

For the transuranium-element multiple bond chemistry that has been accomplished, examples that are known involve two or more element multiple bonds to a given transuranium ion in order to provide enough stabilisation to permit isolation of those compounds. However, the presence of two or more multiple bonded elements has meant that such linkages could not be studied in isolation, complicating their analysis. To date it had not been possible to access transuranium complexes with just one multiple bond to an element that was stable enough to be isolated, so it has been impossible to reliably experimentally confirm or disprove theoretical predictions, which is difficult to do generally for elements that are in relativistic situations.

Using specialist handling facilities, the researchers succeeded in preparing a complex containing a neptunium ion with a multiple bond to a single oxygen atom. The key to success was careful design of the supporting, cage-like organic ligand framework with four stabilising nitrogen donors and large silicon-based flanking groups to protect the neptunium-oxygen bond and enable its study in isolation.

By extending from prior work on uranium now to neptunium, the researchers were able to make hitherto impossible comparisons, with the surprise finding that the neptunium-oxygen complex has more covalent chemical bonding that an isostructural uranium-oxygen complex. This is the opposite of predictions, underscoring the difficulty of making predictions in this area of the Periodic Table and the importance of experimentally testing them.

Professor Steve Liddle, co-Director of the Centre for Radiochemistry at 51��, coordinated the research. He said: “It is thanks to the talent of the researchers involved in this study and through collaboration at specialist facilities internationally that this work has been possible.

Molecular uranium and thorium chemistry has taken enormous strides forwards in recent years through the study of metal-element multiple bonding, but transuranium science has lagged far behind due to the challenges of working experimentally with these elements. The researcher’s work demonstrates that transuranium analogues are now accessible for wider study, opening up opportunities to grow this new field of actinide science.

The paper, ‘A terminal neptunium(V)–mono(oxo) complex’, is published in .

New Honorary Professors join 51��'s nuclear waste expertise

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 10:57:34 +0000

Two new Honorary Professor appointments have been announced that will enhance 51��'s already leading expertise in radioactively contaminated land management and radioactive waste disposal.

Drs Carolyn Pearce and Simon Norris have been appointed by the University's . Working with both the Department and the University's , these appointments will provide exciting new opportunities for exchange in both research and teaching of radioactively contaminated land and radioactive waste management and disposal.

Dr Pearce is a Senior Scientist at and Director of the Energy Frontier Research Center. With her international leadership and expertise in fundamental molecular environmental science and environmental chemistry, Dr Pearce supports vital innovation in the management of radioactively contaminated environments and high radioactive level wastes.

She said: "Both the US and the UK face challenges in safely and securely dealing with nuclear legacy waste. I am extremely appreciative of this Honorary Professor appointment and the opportunity it presents to collaborate on key technological and environmental research challenges that are critical for more efficient waste retrieval and processing at both the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and Sellafield Ltd."

Dr Norris is Principal Research Manager at Radioactive Waste Management Ltd. He has a depth of experience in the radioactive waste disposal sector and an international standing in fundamental science and applications of geoscience, and gas and fluid migrations, to the improved understanding and long-term risk assessment of geodisposal of radioactive waste – the planned method of disposal for the UK's higher-activity radioactive waste.

He said: "I'm delighted with and very grateful for the appointment, and look forward to working further with 51�� colleagues and students. The work we are jointly progressing is of national significance; we need to enhance the related geological disposal scientific knowledge base through continuing collaboration. If beneficial, I would additionally look forward to taking on lecturing and student industrial supervision opportunities."

51��'s Professor Katherine Morris, BNFL Chair of Environmental Radioactivity and Director of Radioactive Waste Management's , said: "Both Carolyn and Simon bring a depth of understanding and a range of research capabilities within their respective specialisms which complement those available within the University, and which are in an area of high strategic importance.

"The UK has more than 60 years' worth of accumulated radioactive wastes and finding robust ways to safely clean-up environmental contamination from legacy facilities and dispose of radioactive wastes is a key objective for researchers both here and around the world.

"51�� is a UK leader in nuclear environment and waste research, and hosts the Radioactive Waste Management's Research Support Office, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, to identify and develop vital research to underpin the safe management and disposal of radioactive wastes.

"We are very pleased to welcome Carolyn and Simon – their appointment will allow us to extend strategic international links and research collaborations, and further enhance our teaching offer and research capability."

Visiting policy expert to focus on small modular reactors

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 10:46:54 +0000

Professor Jeremy Rayner of the University of Saskatchewan has joined 51��'s for four months, from January until April 2022, as a visiting Research Fellow.

He is Director of the at the University of Saskatchewan, and a leading international figure in nuclear policy research. His work focuses on theories of the policy process, particularly policy learning and policy change, as well as policy analysis, governance, and resource, energy and environmental policy.

Professor Rayner's visit will renew and extend an existing research relationship between the Dalton Nuclear Institute and the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, set out in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two institutions in 2015.

During his visit, Professor Rayner will undertake research on the policy environment for the development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the UK as part of a larger comparative study.

Professor Rayner explains: "My project involves a comparison of how Canada and the UK are managing the development and deployment of SMRs, focusing on the mix of policies in place to support development and on public understanding of SMR technologies.

"As the pandemic has once again reminded us, innovation, however brilliant it may seem to scientists and engineers, will often encounter significant public resistance that threatens the achievement of crucial policy goals. This should hardly come as a surprise but, once again, we seem to have been blindsided by the social dimensions of innovation.

"SMRs are currently presented to the public as a solution to the problem of decarbonising electricity generation, which is certainly an important goal. While policy makers seem to find this argument convincing, what about the public and, even more important, organised interests?

"The Dalton Nuclear Institute has a distinguished history of encouraging interdisciplinary research on nuclear issues and I'm looking forward to learning about the work that is currently going on here."

Professor Rayner has a number of students working on issues such as community level acceptance of nuclear power, nuclear issues in social media, and on nuclear policy networks in the Americas. While at 51��, he aims to organise a workshop to facilitate researchers to come together to discuss the social dimensions of SMR deployment and make connections across countries and disciplines.

Professor Richard Taylor, BNFL Chair in Nuclear Energy Systems at the Dalton Nuclear Institute and co-founder of , said: "I'm delighted to welcome Professor Rayner to 51�� and to the Dalton Nuclear Institute. We're lucky to have such a prominent international figure in nuclear policy research to spend time with us, and this is an ideal opportunity to strengthen existing collaborative ties between our respective organisations.

"In addition to undertaking his independent research on the policy environment for the development and deployment of small modular reactors in the UK, Professor Rayner will be looking to organise a workshop on SMRs and nuclear policy. This is a very topical area in both countries at present and the work will be of direct and immediate relevance to both industry and government.

"I am sure Professor Rayner's time here will not just help to further our ambition to lead on interdisciplinary research in civil nuclear, but will also add to the University's reach and credibility in this area."

Professor Rayner's visit and research is supported by the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation.

Turning fusion from a dream to reality: Panel discussion for 51�� Festival of Climate Action

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 15:28:20 +0100

Nuclear fusion is the process that drives the Sun. Unlike traditional nuclear power, which involves splitting nuclei, fusion fuses nuclei together, liberating huge amounts of energy. It has the potential to be an abundant source of power that has very low carbon dioxide emissions.

While fusion research has been ongoing for many decades, it is at a stage of huge growth, with ITER being built, the new UKAEA STEP programme, and a huge number of private companies entering the scene. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain that must be overcome before fusion power is connected to the grid.

On 14 October 2021, 51�� hosted a panel discussion around the topic of how to make fusion power a reality. The panel was hosted by , a research fellow in nuclear fusion at 51��, and panellists were from a broad range of backgrounds – resulting in a very fruitful and thought-provoking discussion. Each of the panellists were asked what they thought needed attention in order to get fusion power on the grid.

Andrew Holland, Chief Executive Officer of the and representing many new private companies, kicked things off by highlighting the need for the US government to fully back fusion energy development, suggesting that only this government has such an ability from his perspective.

This was followed by Sabina Griffith, Communications Officer at the , an international collaboration between seven member states to build a tokamak, saying that a more collaborative approach is required, and not reliance on one country. She stressed the importance of investing in global collaborations. She also highlighted the importance of education and training, making sure the new generation is suitably qualified to bring fusion onto the market. Close collaboration with industry was also said to be key, developing robust supply chains to accelerate the progress of fusion.

Attendees then heard from Dr Kate Lancaster, a lecturer based at the , with extensive experience in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), one of the techniques being pursued in fusion where tiny pellets of deuterium and tritium are compressed repeatedly for very short periods of time. She discussed the latest results from the National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, showing that ICF is in a really exciting and promising place, but that technically there is still a lot of work involving innovative approaches to move from being scientific research to industrial feasibility.

Following this, attendees heard from Dr Greg De Temmerman, the Managing Director of the , with previous experience at the ITER Organization, the and the . He spoke about the importance of timescales, and being realistic about the context within which fusion sits. As a community, he said researchers need to try many different options and be honest about failure. It does not matter if many options fail, as long as something works, referencing projects such as the Apollo space missions. He also highlighted the importance of fusion moving away from being a purely scientific endeavour – which is of course interesting – but with the urgency of the climate emergency, a more industrial approach is required. The fusion community needs to be clear that its mission is to deliver energy.

Emre Yildirim, a PhD student at 51�� as part of the , then discussed the importance of developing tritium production capabilities on a large scale. With tritium only having a half life of 12 years, and current tritium stores coming predominantly from CANDU nuclear fission reactors, it is vital that tritium development capabilities are prioritised. This is because without enough fuel for the 'Deuterium-Tritium' reaction being pursued, even if all other technical challenges are solved, scaling up power production would be very difficult without the fuel resources needed.

The event ended with Professor Catherine Alexander, a social anthropologist at who is interested in large scale scientific collaborations, having worked in other industries with similar structures previously. She again highlighted the importance of being honest about failure, and that failure is not always a bad thing. When estimating delivery dates, people should not work back from time frames such as 2050, but be honest about how long it takes to do things. She addressed the conflict that can arise between scientific interests and politics more broadly, from which fusion is not immune. She also said that in general there cannot be a reliance on 'techno-fixes' for climate change, but a need to address how much energy is being used, for what, and who is using it. Otherwise there is a risk of perpetuating environmentally-damaging processes, global socioeconomic inequalities and chasing after unsustainable growth for a select few.

This sparked an interesting discussion among the panellists. Sabina said it was really important to not over-promise things. Andrew suggested it was possible to have a high energy, low carbon future, but also a low energy, high carbon future, and that the former should be pursued. Other panellists disagreed; Kate said it is necessary to reevaluate the need for continuous growth and consumption, and Greg highlighted the vast inefficiencies in the US energy system (66% energy losses), as well as the huge global inequalities to access to electricity with shocking statistics, including that in sub-Saharan Africa, the average energy consumption is 14GJ/capita/year, in comparison to the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago, when the average energy consumption was 20 GJ/capita/year. There was a consensus of a need to improve efficiencies in electricity production, and also to make electricity more accessible globally.

Then came several interesting questions from the audience, including ones about the importance of collaborating with the fission industry and the broader public. Panellists also discussed the huge progress that fusion has made since the last century.

Dr Aneeqa Khan said of the event: "All in all, I can honestly say that this was one of the most honest and engaging discussions I have heard about fusion. It was really thought-provoking to hear from such a broad and excellent range of speakers, all with very different perspectives, as well as the fabulous contributions from the audience. Going forward it is clear that we must collaborate technically and politically, being realistic about our challenges and failures, honest about timescales, clear on our mission to deliver energy and move away from being only scientific researchers.

"We need to work on resource supplies, specifically tritium and more broadly make sure that the technology is accessible to all, and simultaneously address existing inefficiencies and inequalities so that we don't simply perpetuate the unsustainable system we are living in. A tall order, but I think such discussions are the first steps in action, and I think this discussion highlighted how far fusion has come and how important it is for all of us from different backgrounds to talk with each other to make real changes and progress."

Novel graphite treatment 'could reduce UK nuclear waste burden'

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 11:06:54 +0100

Researchers at 51�� have developed a novel treatment technology that may help to significantly reduce the UK's nuclear waste burden.

The management of radioactive graphite waste is one of the major challenges of nuclear power plant decommissioning throughout the world, particularly in the UK, as well as in France and Russia.

More than 300,000 tonnes of nuclear graphite waste worldwide, and around 100,000 tonnes in the UK, await disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility that is yet to be built.

, and have found a novel and non-destructive method of removing radioactivity from this type of waste and downgrading it from the category of 'higher activity waste' to that of a much lower level. This breakthrough could therefore significantly speed up disposal of such material and reduce the overall cost of dealing with our legacy waste.

The treatment developed uses electrolysis to drive the removal of radioactive species from irradiated nuclear graphite into a molten salt medium. Molten salts have an advantage over, for example, water in that molten salts have a wide electrochemical window, which means we can readily access electric potentials that can better force the removal of these nuclear graphite isotopes.

Using this method the team was able to reduce the radioactivity of UK Magnox grade graphite so that reclassification of the graphite from Intermediate Level Waste to Low Level Waste is possible, making it far easier and cheaper to dispose of.

Professor Abbie Jones, Chair in Nuclear Graphite, said: "The UK nuclear industry has built all but one of its reactors (>40 in total) using graphite as core moderator material and structural components. As these cease to operate, this will result in a volume of graphite waste equivalent to ~ 1300 double decker buses (~ 100,000 tonnes). As most of the advanced modular nuclear reactor technologies proposed for future low carbon energy production may also use nuclear graphite, technologies that can minimise the burden of this waste are vital.

"We have submitted an international patent with 51�� on this technology and are planning follow-on research to determine if we can decontaminate nuclear graphite to levels even further than observed thus far. We will also use our ongoing links with the International Atomic Energy Agency to explore the feasibility of upscaling this technology for the treatment to address further extensive legacy nuclear graphite waste worldwide."

Dr Clint Sharrad, Reader in Nuclear Decommissioning Engineering, added: "If we are successful in industrialising this technology, it could lead to up to £1 billion in savings for the UK taxpayer by reducing disposal costs for current graphite legacy wastes, as well as improved sustainability of advanced reactor technology where graphite will be deployed again.

"The nuclear sector as a whole is already exploring and developing innovative technologies to decommission legacy facilities quickly and safely. Our work has shown how innovation can be successfully achieved by possessing a willingness to work across disciplines and research areas."

The paper, titled , was published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.

Professor Francis Livens to chair Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 15:23:55 +0100

The new has been announced – with Professor Francis Livens, Director of the , appointed Chair.

Professor Gregg Butler, Head of Strategic Assessment at Dalton Nuclear Institute, will also remain on the Board.

NIRAB has provided expert, independent advice on nuclear research and innovation to government since it was first convened in 2014, reviewing the UK civil nuclear landscape every three years and making recommendations on the research and innovation required to underpin government policy.

Its most recent report, , is reflected in the government's energy white paper and , published last year.

The announced this week represents the third iteration of the Board, reconvened for 2021 to 2024.

Working in partnership with the Nuclear Innovation and Research Office (NIRO), it will and support the development of recommendations for new research and innovation programmes and strategy to underpin priority policies, with a focus on delivering current objectives set out in the white paper on small modular reactors and advanced nuclear technology.

It will provide advice on the impact and delivery of government's nuclear research and innovation programmes; opportunities for greater collaboration with industry and international partners; the potential for innovation to reduce the cost of the nuclear life cycle; and implementation of research programmes to demonstrate new and novel nuclear systems to support delivery of the energy white paper and ten-point plan.

Experts from 51�� have been part of the NIRAB membership since its beginning, including Professor of Nuclear Fuel Technology Tim Abram (2014 to 2016 and 2018 to 2021), Head of the Thermo-Fluids Group Professor Hector Iacovides and Director of the Materials Performance Centre Professor Grace Burke (2018 to 2021).

Winners announced for 5 Days of Dalton image competition

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 14:28:54 +0100

The winners of 5 Days of Dalton image competition, which aims to find creative ways of depicting nuclear research, have been announced.

Participants were asked to submit images representing one or more of the uniquely broad research themes covered by 51��'s nuclear researchers: decommissioning, environment and waste, recycling, fuels and fuel cladding, fusion, reactors, nuclear and society.

Dalton Nuclear Institute brings together a community of over 170 PhD researchers, postdocs and fellows, and 120 academics working on nuclear-related research across the University – spread across three faculties. Their work covers the full nuclear fuel cycle, fusion and social research, and forms the most advanced nuclear research capability in the UK.

The 5 Days of Dalton competition showcases interesting and creative ways to share this work. It is run by the Dalton Champions – members of 51��'s nuclear research community, representing the many departments in which nuclear-related research takes place.

The winners are:

Decommissioning

Holly Perrett, PhD researcher, Nuclear Physics

^An electron multiplier inside a vacuum chamber. This will be used to count atoms of 85Kr atmosphere samples.

Environment and Waste (joint winners)

Julius Wessolek, PhD researcher, Physics

^ is a laser spectroscopy technique developed at CERN for studying nuclei, and is being adapted in 51�� for measuring trace radioactive isotopes in soil, water and air.

Franky Barton, PhD researcher, Earth and Environmental Sciences

^Using the synchrotron to investigate uranium speciation in ground and pipe scale contamination studies.

Recycling

Alex Jackson, PhD researcher, Next Generation Nuclear CDT

^Three Neodymium Mountains in a Box. This is an image of the UV-visible light absorbance spectrum of Neodymium over time as it becomes extracted by an organic ligand called TODGA in a Rotating Diffusion Cell.

Fuels and fuel cladding

Amina Ahmed, PhD researcher in Fuels, Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

^Arc Melting Nuclear Fuel

Fusion

James Mansfield, PhD researcher, Next Generation Nuclear CDT

^Isn't it amazing to think that all of this is ultimately powered by fusion in the sun!?

Reactors

Anastasia Vasileiou, Dalton Research Fellow in Advanced Nuclear Manufacturing

^Electron beam welding, a promising technique for the manufacture of nuclear pressure vessels.

Nuclear and Society

Laura Leay: Science writer and podcaster (formerly Nuclear Engineering Innovation Fellow, Dalton Cumbrian Facility)

^Talking about nuclear waste with the

All submissions were shared on social media and the winning images received a voucher prize. They will be displayed in the new Dalton office.

Professor Francis Livens awarded 2020 Becquerel Medal

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 13:31:58 +0100

Director of the has been awarded the prestigious Becquerel Medal for 2020 by the Radiochemistry Group of the .

Professor Livens is recognised for his outstanding record of academic achievements, along with significant contributions to teaching in radiochemistry, outreach and media work, and shaping of government policy in the nuclear sector.

With more than 35 years' research experience across the fuel cycle, Professor Livens has acted as advisor to the nuclear sector both in the UK and overseas. He is a member of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Board, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and a member of the Institute of Strategic Studies.

He has published more than 200 refereed papers and has led over £20 million of UKRI projects, including multi-partner collaborations. He has supported the Government's Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, the Cabinet Office Science Advisory Council, and the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board, as well as the Office for Nuclear Regulation Independent Advisory Panel and Sellafield Ltd.

Professor Livens has held a radiochemistry position at 51�� since 1991, and has worked for more than 25 years in environmental radioactivity and actinide chemistry, starting his career with the Natural Environment Research Council - where he was involved in the response to the Chernobyl accident.

At 51�� he has worked in many aspects of nuclear fuel cycle research, including effluent treatment and waste immobilisation. He was the founding Director of the Centre for Radiochemistry Research - established in 51�� in 1999 - and is Nuclear Materials Research Area Lead for the Henry Royce Institute.

Recently, Professor Livens was involved in the release of , a position paper from the Dalton Nuclear Institute assessing the potential role of nuclear energy in the UK's net zero future.

His receipt of this award represents the second awarding of the Becquerel Medal to the Institute's leadership team, with Professor Melissa Denecke - now of the International Atomic Energy Agency - receiving the award in 2016 as Scientific Director.

51�� launches Advanced Nuclear Energy roadmap

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 09:30:00 +0100

Nuclear experts at 51�� have developed a roadmap detailing the eight key actions required to assess the role of nuclear energy in the UK’s net zero future objectively.

The 41-page position paper entitled , sets out the steps needed to examine the possible roles for nuclear energy using an objective, well-developed economic assessment system.

Authored by the senior leadership team at , home to the largest and most advanced nuclear research capability in the UK, the paper considers nuclear in the context of the net zero challenge, in supporting the UK’s hydrogen ambitions and in delivering economic growth, through industrial development, jobs and in supporting the levelling up agenda.

It determines what policymakers and industry need to explore in order to take an informed decision based on a ‘best economics’ basis. This includes the development of advisory bodies, non-partisan modelling of the economic path, and the optimisation of R&D programmes.

Professor Francis Livens, director of 51��’s Dalton Nuclear Institute explains: “Net zero by 2050 is such a massive challenge for this country that it is really all hands to the pumps. The reality is we need to explore all these options and evaluate them on a level playing field and come to an objective decision about ‘does nuclear have a part to play in our energy future or not?’.

“Either way the UK needs to move fast to resolve this question and take any opportunity that is there. If it continues to prevaricate, any opportunity will certainly be lost.”

Co-author Professor Gregg Butler continues: “We have developed this paper because we felt a responsibility as an impartial academic community to support our colleagues in government and industry. The UK has set a world–leading net zero target. But simply setting the target is not enough – we need to achieve it. Now is the time to take key actions which will determine the roles nuclear can play, recognising that they should only be adopted if they contribute to an optimised economic and environmental solution.

“We might know a lot about nuclear energy – but it’s got to be viewed as a candidate for helping to reach net zero – not as an end in itself.”

The paper has been co-authored by Dr William Bodel, Prof Gregg Butler and Prof Juan Matthews.

Fusion energy partnership agreed between 51�� and UK Atomic Energy Authority

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 15:44:52 +0100

A new partnership has been signed between 51�� and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to help accelerate the country’s progress toward Net Zero Carbon targets through the development of fusion energy.

A memorandum of understanding has today (March 30) been signed by the two organisations to kick start a major collaboration for the research and development of sustainable energy produced by fusion.

Fusion is a very attractive alternative energy source that, when commercialised, will generate electricity without greenhouse gases – with abundant fuel supplies around the world. The prospect of fusion energy generation becoming integrated in to the UK’s energy mix can offer secure, safe production for thousands of years to come.

Professor Francis Livens, Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at 51�� said: “This new collaboration in fusion complements and builds on our long term strength in nuclear research, will allow us to build important new research and training activities in Tritium Science & Technology and Digitalisation, and extend our exciting collaboration with UKAEA.”

Sustainable low-carbon energy is needed and fusion can help meet this demand. Fusion has now reached the point where significant investment is being made internationally to develop a commercially viable solution. Work so far has been closely integrated with the European Fusion program and in the development of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in France.

Martin O’Brien, Head of University Liaison at the UK Atomic Energy Authority, said: “Many universities already work with us on a wide range of research topics. We are excited that 51�� will now expand greatly its work with us in two key areas where progress is needed to deliver a fusion power station.”

Fusion energy is an area of national and international priority and has been explicitly identified in Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, and in the December 2020 Energy White Paper.

Through UKAEA, the UK Government has already committed £220 m over 4 years to develop the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) concept with the aim of building a power station based on the STEP design by 2040. This is an area where new research is required to address some of the significant challenges in realising STEP and will continue to be a focus of external investment.

This new agreement between 51�� and UKAEA will see a significant addition to the University’s Dalton Nuclear Institute’s research activity, expanding what is already the UK’s largest and most connected academic provider of research and development. Two new research groups will now be established, with six new high quality academic appointments.

51�� has set ambitious goals to be zero carbon by 2038 and will eliminate avoidable single-use plastics by 2022.

ALACANDRA project to investigate robot radioactivity clean-up

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 10:20:17 +0000

Scientists from 51�� are to work alongside researchers from Lancaster University to investigate the best way to use robots to clean up radioactivity, following the awarding of a £1.49 million grant from the EPSRC.

The project, entitled 'Advancing location accuracy via collimated nuclear assay for decommissioning robotic applications' - or ALACANDRA - involves of the and of the , as well as Professor Malcolm Joyce and Professor James Taylor from Lancaster University.

It will explore how robots can be deployed into radioactive facilities, such as those on the Sellafield site, to better measure, map and locate sources of radiation.

Sending robots - such as the Jackal robot carrying a collimated gamma detector (pictured) - in to map radiological areas has two problems:

Radioactivity is often dispersed, with contamination arising from leaks, splashes, tide marks in vessels and migrating into porous materials, yielding a 3D distribution in space. Radiation detector systems and imagers have difficulty with this.
Contaminated places are often cluttered with process equipment, detritus and construction materials, which can cause the radiation to scatter and also absorb it. This influences the 'picture' and can influence how much radioactivity is thought to be present.

ALACANDRA will investigate how measurements made using on-board detectors can be interpreted to better understand the location and activity of radiation sources within the environment.

Specifically, the project will attempt to identify the transfer properties that govern the response of collimated radiation imaging systems when they are used to characterise radioactive contamination on board mobile robotic platforms.

Professor Francis Livens to join the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority board

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 11:02:44 +0000

The (NDA) today announced that the Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP has appointed Professor Francis Livens to its board. Francis Livens is Professor of Radiochemistry and Director of .

Dr Ros Rivaz, NDA Chair, said: “I am delighted that Francis is joining the NDA board. He is one of the UK’s leading nuclear experts and has extensive knowledge of the nuclear sector in the UK and internationally. I look forward to working together with him.”

Professor Livens said: “I am hugely excited and privileged to be joining the NDA’s board. The UK is at the leading edge of nuclear decommissioning and I am pleased to be able to help take this important work forward.”

Professor Livens brings a wide range of nuclear and leadership experience to the NDA. He has held a number of senior positions in universities and research institutes. He is a member of the advising Government, as well as the Office of Nuclear Regulation Independent Advisory Panel. He has also performed numerous other important advisory roles in the UK and internationally, as a recognised expert in radiochemistry in particular plutonium and nuclear materials.

As Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at 51��, he is responsible for coordination of nuclear research and education across the University. He is particularly focused on the linkages between and Humanities, addressing the societal, cultural and organisational aspects of implementing nuclear technologies in modern societies. He is also Nuclear Theme Champion at the .

Professor Livens has over 35 years of experience in nuclear research, working closely with industry and government. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Chemistry and Member of the Institute of Strategic Studies. As well as teaching undergraduates and post graduate courses, Professor Livens has supervised over 60 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. He has published over 200 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals.

RAIN Hub successfully trials robotic inspection of Dounreay active sites

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 13:09:01 +0100

The has successfully trialled a robot in an active deployment at the Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) nuclear research facility, now in the process of decommissioning.

A research consortium led by 51�� developing robotic and AI solutions to meet user-led challenges in the nuclear industry, RAIN has worked in close collaboration with Dounreay to identify its Vega robot as ideal to perform essential radiation surveys in areas deemed unsafe for humans.

Dounreay is a significant nuclear research site undergoing decommissioning on the north coast of Scotland. The DSRL team had such confidence in RAIN technologies and processes that they facilitated on-site Vega trials in an active waste store rather than in mock-up conditions, as would be normal practice.

The is a small, tracked ROV designed to be a low-cost and modular solution to nuclear challenges. This exploration platform can incorporate a range of sensors, cameras and a manipulator arm, offering full physical, chemical and radiological characterisation of unmapped spaces.

Building on the success of initial trials, RAIN continues to develop Vega so it can support decommissioning challenges, including the survey of a legacy duct at Dounreay. RAIN also acknowledges invaluable support from Innovation 2 Commercialisation (I2C), which is highly experienced at facilitating the relationship between technology developer and challenge owner to commercialise innovative technology into nuclear environments.

, a University of 51�� spin-out company expert in developing robotic systems for use in nuclear environments, is also supporting technological development.

RAIN expects to continue survey work at Dounreay later in the year, and with I2C it will explore other ways it can help Dounreay and other challenge owners in their decommissioning efforts.

51�� and Sheffield launch £2.5m research project into safe geological disposal of nuclear waste

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 13:28:53 +0100

A new £2.5m collaborative venture has been launched with 51�� and the University of Sheffield to support the delivery of research into safe geological disposal of nuclear waste.

51��, in partnership with the , will support the delivery of independent evidence-based research to underpin the development of a UK Geological Disposal Facility – following a £2.5 million grant secured from (RWM).

Launching the new pioneering Radioactive Waste Management Research Support Office (RWM RSO), based at 51��’s and headed by Professor Katherine Morris, the partner universities will build an academic community across the UK and, with national and international collaborators, focus on developing underpinning research to support safe geological disposal of the UK’s higher activity radioactive wastes.

The RWM RSO will centre its research on nine themes covering advanced manufacturing, applied mathematics, applied social science, environmental science, geoscience, materials science, public communication of science, radiochemistry, and training. This includes experimental and modelling research in the STEM subjects, as well as the coordination of applied social science research to explore the societal and socio-economic aspects of geological disposal, including how public trust and confidence can be developed and sustained with potential host communities.

Central to the RSO’s role will be the coordination of needs-driven research. University researchers from across the UK will be able to bid to undertake research within the nine defined themes. Funding supported by RWM is expected to be around £20m over a period of up to 10 years and, where appropriate, leveraging support for geological disposal related research from research councils is also part of the RWM RSO funding vision.

Research will be led by academics with the collective range of skills in geological disposal science and technology to deliver strategic research in radioactive waste management. The RWM RSO will develop this community of academics via networking opportunities and funding calls, and the RSO team who will support the academic community includes:

Professor Katherine Morris, RWM RSO Director, BNFL Research Chair in Environmental Radioactivity, 51��
Professor Sam Shaw, RWM RSO Academic Lead, 51��, Professor of Environmental Mineralogy.
Professor Neil Hyatt, RWM RSO Academic Lead, University of Sheffield, Royal Academy of Engineering and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Research Chair in Radioactive Waste Management.
Dr Claire Corkhill, Materials Science Lead, Reader in Nuclear Materials Corrosion, University of Sheffield
Professor Sarah Heath, Training lead, Professor of Nuclear Chemistry, 51��
Professor Steve Jones, Advanced Manufacturing Lead, Professor of Welding Technology, Chief Technology Officer at the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC).
Professor Francis Livens, Radiochemistry Lead, Professor of Radiochemistry, Director of Dalton Nuclear Institute, 51��
Professor Kevin Taylor, Geosciences Lead, Professor of Sedimentology and Tectonics, 51��
Professor Richard Taylor, Social Sciences Lead, BNFL Chair in Nuclear Energy Systems, 51��

The RWM RSO will look to further extend the expertise of this team by appointing discipline leads in applied mathematics, environmental science, public communication of science and additional key representatives from other UK universities through dedicated calls over the coming months.

The RSO will also support the development of the next generation of researchers for geological disposal. Nurturing this expertise across the UK’s academic institutions will allow regulators and supply chain companies to tap into the latest thinking to inform their strategies, while enabling the UK to remain at the forefront of geodisposal research, over the decades to come.

Lucy Bailey, RWM’s Head of Research Support Office said, “I am thrilled to be leading this exciting new initiative for RWM. Through the RSO we will harness the best research expertise across the UK to build the knowledge and understanding required to underpin the safety case to deliver a GDF that deals permanently with the UK’s higher-activity waste.”

Professor Katherine Morris, RWM RSO Director, BNFL Chair of Environmental Radioactivity, 51�� added, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the University of Sheffield and RWM on this exciting new venture to build a community of researchers who will deliver the highest quality, relevant research to underpin the UK’s radioactive waste disposal programme.”

Professor Neil Hyatt, RWM RSO Academic Lead at the University of Sheffield, continued: “The RWM RSO provides a vital and timely focus to network and integrate research across the academic landscape to deliver a safe and affordable engineered facility of disposal of the UK’s radioactive waste legacy. We're looking forward to working with 51�� and RWM on this."

The RSO will begin fulfilling its objectives with a series of online events taking place between 16-18 September 2020. Open to all UK-based researchers and stakeholders, the events will be a combination of knowledge sharing and collaborative research sandpits to define immediate research priorities. To reserve your place, sign up to the.

51�� nuclear robotics development features in government R&D roadmap

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 10:24:14 +0100

Research from 51��-led has been featured in a newly-published government roadmap that aims to cement the UK as a leading research and science superpower.

The sets out the UK's vision and ambition for science, research and innovation - and includes a case study on how 51�� research has led to robotic deployments on the Sellafield nuclear site.

Funded by the government's Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, the RAIN Hub develops robots that can solve challenges faced by the nuclear industry and has resulted in the first-ever deployment of a fully autonomous robot, , into an active area at Sellafield.

CARMA (Continuous Autonomous Radiation Monitoring Assistance) autonomously maps floor spaces to locate alpha, beta and gamma radioactive contamination, and radiation hotspots can be detected precisely without requiring people to enter a hazardous environment. Working with industry, the CARMA platform is now being commercialised and has the potential to make a huge impact on nuclear facilities across the UK.

Using robotics across nuclear sites aims to make possible the savings goals of the Nuclear Sector Deal - which targets a 20% to 30% cost reduction for decommissioning and new build - as well as improving efficiency and allowing safe access to areas too hazardous for human entry.

Inclusion of the CARMA case study in the new government roadmap highlights how successful and groundbreaking the research programme has been.

The RAIN Hub strives to make robotics the norm in the nuclear industry, and works closely with end users, regulators and the supply-chain to really understand the current challenges present within nuclear facilities. Regular technology demonstrations are possible due to 51��'s laboratory location in Cumbria, close to Sellafield.

Demonstrations allow the team to build trust in the technology and adapt to feedback from end users. While working in such a safety-conscious industry, allowing people from Sellafield to see a robotic platform in a laboratory environment has been essential in leading to deployments in active areas.

Physicists measure short-lived radioactive molecules for the first time

Thu, 28 May 2020 10:08:15 +0100

An international team of experimentalists and theorists working at nuclear-physics facility have succeeded in performing the first ever laser-spectroscopy measurements of a short-lived radioactive molecule, radium monofluoride.

Laser spectroscopy refers to the process of shining laser light on molecules to reveal their energy structure. It isa standard approach used by physicists. Until now, however, researchers hadn’t been able to use the technique to study short-lived radioactive molecules, which contain one or more unstable nuclei. 51�� has led the development of these techniques, improving the sensitivity sufficiently to enable these measurements to be made.

Compared to atoms, such molecules offer a superior means to explore fundamental symmetries of nature and to search for new physics phenomena. The results, published today in the journal , represent a pivotal step towards using these molecules for fundamental physics research and beyond.

“Our measurements demonstrate that radium monofluoride molecules can be chilled down to temperatures that would allow researchers to investigate them in extraordinary detail,” says principal investigator Ronald Garcia Ruiz. “Our results pave the way to high-precision studies of short-lived radioactive molecules, which offer a new and unique laboratory for research in fundamental physics and other fields.”

STFC-funded, Ernest Rutherford Fellow Professor Kieran Flanaganfrom 51�� said: “There is a tremendous opportunity to use radioactive molecules to search for new physics and help provide answers to fundamental questions in the fields of nuclear and particle physics.”

Radium monofluoride molecules are particularly interesting because they contain radium, some isotopes of which have , with more mass at one end than the other. These exotic pear shapes amplify processes that break fundamental symmetries of nature and could reveal new physics phenomena beyond the .

Scientists believe the new findings could help demonstrate processes that break time-reversal symmetry – particles that vary if you swap forwards in time for backwards – which would give particles an electric dipole moment. This can be thought of as a shift of the cloud of virtual particles that surround every elementary particle away from the centre of mass.

The Standard Model predicts a non-zero but very small electric dipole moment, but theories beyond the Standard Model often predict larger values. Nuclear pear shapes would amplify a putative electric dipole moment and would thus offer a sensitive means to probe new phenomena beyond the Standard Model – one that would be complementary to searches for new physics at high-energy particle colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider.

The current experiment builds on theoretical investigations of the energy structure of radium monofluoride. Based on these investigations it was predicted that the molecule is amenable to laser

cooling, whereby lasers are used to cool down atoms or molecules for high-precision studies. “This laser-spectroscopy study of radium monofluoride at ISOLDE provides strong evidence that the molecules can indeed be laser cooled,” says ISOLDE spokesperson Gerda Neyens.

The international collaborative team produced radioactive radium isotopes by firing protons from the CERN’s Proton Synchrotron Booster on a uranium carbide target, radium monoﬂuoride ions were then formed by surrounding the target with carbon tetrafluoride gas.

The radium monofluoride ions were then sent through ISOLDE’s Collinear Resonance Ionisation Spectroscopy (CRIS) setup, where the ions were turned into neutral molecules that were subsequently subjected to a laser beam that boosted them to excited energy states at specific laser frequencies. A subset of these excited molecules was then ionised with a second laser beam and deﬂected onto a particle detector for analysis.

By analysing the measured spectra of ionised excited molecules, the team was able to identify the low-lying energy levels of the molecules and some of the properties that demonstrate that that the molecules can be laser cooled for future precision studies.

In addition to their potential in exploring fundamental symmetries, molecules made of short-lived isotopes can be highly abundant in space, for example in supernovae remnants or in the gas ejected from mergers of neutron stars.

The project was part- funded by the (STFC).

Two 51�� physicists awarded Ernest Rutherford Fellowships

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 10:35:02 +0100

Two physicists from 51�� are among ten new recipients of from the . The awards aim to help promising scientists to realise their research ambitions.

Dr Lucia Grillo and Dr David Sharp, both of the , have been awarded five-year fellowships to establish strong, independent research programmes.

Ernest Rutherford Fellows are identified as talented early career researchers who do not hold an academic position but have clear leadership potential. They will conduct research in a number of areas of science, including astrophysics, nuclear physics, theoretical particle physics and cosmology.

The scheme provides funding for research programmes and encourages talented researchers in UK universities to remain in the country, and at the same time attracts outstanding overseas researchers to the UK.

Dr Grillo is an Experimental Particle Physicist and her research title is 'Finding true LUV'. In the current understanding of fundamental particles, leptons such as the electron, and its heavier partners muon and tau, behave in exactly the same manner (lepton universality). Any observed departure from this principle, lepton universality violation or LUV, would be a paradigm shifting discovery and revolutionise our description of nature.

Having led the working group pursuing first tests of lepton universality, as well as other high precision measurements at the LHCb experiment at CERN, Dr Grillo now aims to establish whether or not LUV is real, and if so to understand the nature of new phenomena leading to these effects.

In addition, she will have a leading role in the design and performance optimisation of the tracking system for the future LHCb upgrade detector.

Dr Sharp is a Nuclear Physicist and his research focuses on studying the structure of atomic nuclei to better understand the fundamental forces between neutrons and protons. In order to understand the behaviour of all nuclei across the nuclear chart, and how they are produced in the astrophysical processes such as neutron-star mergers, nuclear physicists have to study nuclei that live for only a very short amount of time, less than a second in many cases.

This requires state-of-the-art facilities and techniques. A number of upgraded or new facilities that produce radioactive nuclei as beams for study are soon to start operation; the aim of this Fellowship is to use these new devices to study the structure of exotic nuclei and the reactions they undergo, such as nuclear fission.

Better understanding of these processes in exotic nuclei will inform understanding of the formation of the elements in astrophysical environments.

Sellafield research uncovers microbial life in fuel ponds

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 10:50:56 +0100

Two new research papers from 51��, working with colleagues at and the show that microbes can actively colonise some of the most intensively radioactive waste storage sites in Europe.

When nuclear facilities such as Sellafield were designed and built more than 50 years ago, it was sensible to assume that the conditions in the pond would prevent microbial life from taking hold, but now new research shows that this is not the case.

The growth of microbial life in nuclear facilities can cause uncertainty or problems. Understanding how microbial life can inhabit environments such as fuel storage ponds is vital to progress nuclear decommissioning work such as at Sellafield.

Microbes are a group of organisms that, including bacteria and algae, are known to inhabit a wide range of habitats on Earth. Improvements in detection technology in recent years has allowed microorganisms to be detected in environments previously thought to be inhospitable to life.

It is now becoming clear that some microorganisms are capable of withstanding surprisingly high doses of radiation, at levels significantly greater than seen in natural environments.

In these two new studies, a team of geomicrobiologists based in 51��’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, studied microbes that can potentially cause ‘summer blooms’ in a large outdoor spent nuclear fuel storage pond at the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, the largest nuclear regulated site in the UK. Blooms reduce visibility, disrupt fuel retrieval and slow decommissioning.

Prof Jonathan Lloyd said: “Our research focused on Sellafield’s First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP), which is a legacy pond that has both significant levels of radioactivity in conjunction with a highly alkaline pH (11.4), equivalent to domestic bleach.

“The ultimate aim of this work was to identify the microbes that can tolerate such an inhospitable environment, understand how they tolerate high radiation levels, and help site operators control their growth. The growth of the microorganisms in the FGMSP inhibits the operations in the pond, which is currently a priority for decommissioning."

A paper published in the journal used DNA sequencing tools to identify the microbes growing in the FGMSP and identified those that form dense blooms in the facility, similar to those observed in natural environments such as ponds and the sea. A key and often overlooked cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena catenata was identified as a key pioneer species in this unusual high pH and radioactive environment.

Dr Lynn Foster, who led the research said: “By limiting the proliferation of microorganisms on the Sellafield site we are helping to keep decommissioning programmes on schedule and within budget. In addition, further laboratory experiments are ongoing in order to better understand the adaptive mechanisms of these fascinating “extremophile” organisms that are native to these highly unusual engineered pond systems.”

By developing a better understanding of the capabilities of these microorganisms, the authors also hope that organisms that are able to help clean up contaminated environments can be identified.

In a companion paper published in , the team investigated the response of this cyanobacterium to ionizing radiation at high pH. A representative dose of radiation was delivered to this organism under laboratory conditions and the response was monitored.

The results showed that this cyanobacterium produces a slime-like polysaccharide protective material in response to radiation shock (a common defence response for microbes), and the production of this material is of interest since it could interact with the radionuclides in the pond, and/or allow these microorganism to attach to surfaces within the pond.

The build-up of microorganisms and polymeric substances in the FGMSP could be problematic to decommissioning efforts. However, the results from these recent studies also showed that the abundance of the microorganisms in the FGMSP could be effectively controlled by purging the pond with alkaline dosed water at regular intervals. The pond water purge successfully flushes out the microorganisms which allows routine plant operations to continue.

Further work is ongoing to look at other facilities on the Sellafield site and provide support to help with control measures to reduce the growth of these and other organisms.

Prof Steve Liddle wins Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 15:32:47 +0000

, Head of Inorganic Chemistry and co-Director of the , has been awarded a by the of Germany.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation promotes academic cooperation between excellent scientists and scholars from abroad and from Germany, and Prof Liddle will be hosted by the University of Regensburg in Bavaria.

The Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award is bestowed to scientists and scholars from outside Germany who are internationally renowned in their field and who in future are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements that will have a seminal influence on their discipline beyond their immediate field of work.

The Foundation grants around 20 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Awards annually to international applicants, across all branches of science, who completed their doctorates less than 18 years at the point of nomination. Recipients are honoured for their outstanding research record and invited to spend a period of up to one year in total cooperating on a long-term research project with specialist colleagues at a research institution in Germany.

New insights shine light on uranium chemistry and disposal of radioactive waste

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:54:32 +0000

A new research paper provides a significant new insight into our understanding of uranium biogeochemistry and could help with the UK’s substantial nuclear legacy.

Conducted by a team of researchers from 51��, and their work shows for the first time under conditions generally found in the environment, that uranium may exist as a more water-soluble form in a uranium-sulfur complex.

Professor Katherine Morris, Associate Dean for Research Facilities in the , 51�� and the Research Director for the BNFL Research Centre in Radwaste Disposal explains why recreating and studying these chemical complexes is highly relevant for understanding and dealing with radioactive waste or cleaning up of nuclear sites and mines.

“To be able to predict the behaviour of the uranium found around a former nuclear site or mine, we need to take into account that it might also have interacted with other processes taking place in the ground. These so-called biogeochemical reactions are often a complex set of interactions between dissolved chemical species, mineral surfaces, and activity of microorganisms.” says Prof Morris.

“Properties such as, for example, how easily the uranium dissolves in water, which significantly affects its mobility through the ecosystem, may change when it gets bound to certain other elements in entities called complexes.”

It has been noted in earlier field studies that in environments that are low in oxygen and richer in sulphur, uranium tends to become more soluble and mobile. This new study is, published in, , is the first time that researchers confirm that the mobile uranium-sulfide complex may form under conditions similar to those in the environment. &�Բ��;

In the experiment, the researchers studied uranium when it sits at the surface of ferrihydrite, which is a widespread mineral present in the environment. The researchers used an X-ray based method called X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) to study the samples at Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national Synchrotron. The XAS data, in combination with computational modelling, showed that during the sulfidation reaction, a short-lived and novel U(VI)-persulfide complex formed, facilitating the release of uranium into an aqueous solution.

Professor Sam Shaw, Co-Investigator and Professor of Environmental Mineralogy at 51�� said: “Shining the synchrotron beam on to the sample causes the uranium within the samples to emit X-rays. By analysing the X-ray signal from the samples the team were able to conclude the chemical form of uranium, and to which other elements it is bound.

“To further validate the theory on the formation pathway of the uranium-sulfur complexes, the team also made computer simulations to conclude which type of complex is more likely to form. This is the first observation of this uranium species under aqueous conditions and provides new insight into how uranium behaves in environments where sulfide is present. The reaction happens between sulfur and uranium on the surface of mineral as they transform.

“This work demonstrates the deep understanding we can develop of these complex systems and this knowledge could help underpin efforts to manage radioactive wastes in a geological disposal faciltiy.”

Dr Luke Townsend, Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Radiochemistry at 51��, who undertook this research as part of his PhD further said: “When trying to mimic environmental processes in the laboratory, it’s always a challenge to produce, accurate, high quality, reproducible science whilst also maintaining relevance to the initial question that was asked. You are both tested by the complexity in front of you, but also conscious of the overall contribution the work can make. However, through the ample hard work and commitment to the project, both in our labs in 51�� and on the beamlines here at Diamond, is all worthwhile when we get exciting results such as these.”

The XAS measurements were performed at Diamond on beamlines I20 and B18 by the researchers combining highly controlled iron (oxyhydr) oxide sulfidation experiments, using geochemical analyses, X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), with computational modelling to track and understand uranium behaviour.

Physical Science Director at Diamond, Laurent Chapon concludes: “This is another example of how Diamond’s state of the art analytical tools are enabling world-changing science and helping to tackle 21^st century challenges. In this instance, our beamlines enabled the users to gain real insight into this newly confirmed form of uranium-sulphur complexes. These findings are like pages in the challenging book of waste remediation and Diamond’s capabilities could help with entire chapters of that book so more contributions together with our user community still remain to be made.”

Published in Environmental Science & Technology, the paper is called "Formation of a U(VI)-persulfide complex during environmentally relevant sulfidation of iron (oxyhydr)oxides"

Nuclear fuel alternatives after Fukushima have challenges ahead

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 09:43:36 +0000

Research at suggests that the preferred candidate fuel to replace uranium oxide in nuclear reactors may need further development before use.

Dr Robert Harrison led the research, published in the journal , with colleagues from the University and the .

“Since the 2011 Fukushima accident,” explains Dr Harrison, “there has been an international effort to develop accident tolerant fuels (ATFs), which are uranium-based fuel materials that could better withstand the accident scenario than the current fuel assemblies.”

One of these ATFs is a uranium silicon compound, U₃Si₂. This material conducts heat much better than the traditional uranium oxide fuels, allowing the reactor core to be operated at lower temperatures. In an emergency situation, this buys more time for engineers to bring the reactor under control.

However, there are many unknowns about how U₃Si₂ will behave in the reactor core. “One of these unknowns,” says Dr Harrison, “is how it will behave when exposed to high temperature steam or air, as may happen during manufacturing or a severe accident during reactor operation.”

To investigate just how accident tolerant ATFs are, Dr Harrison and his colleagues investigated how Ce₃Si₂ – a non-radioactive material analogous to U₃Si₂ – behaved under exposure to high-temperature air.

Using advanced electron microscopy techniques, available at 51�� Electron Microscopy Centre (EMC), the researchers were able to study the reaction products after Ce₃Si₂ was exposed to air at temperatures of up to 750^oC.

They discovered the material was prone to forming nanometre sized grains of silicon and silicon oxide, as well as cerium oxide. These nano-grains may allow for enhanced corrosion of the fuel material or the escape of radioactive gasses formed during reactor activity.

This is because the formation of nano-grains creates more grain boundary areas – interfaces between grains, which provide pathways for corrosive substances or fission gases to migrate along.

“Similarly,” adds Dr Harrison, “it would also allow for hazardous gaseous fission products produced during the splitting of uranium (such as xenon gas that would normally be trapped within the material) to diffuse out along these grain boundaries and be released, which would be potentially harmful to the environment.”

While Dr Harrison stops short of saying that these ATFs are more unsafe under accident conditions than the current fuels they are looking to replace, he would argue they are currently not any better, and “aren’t as tolerant to accident conditions as once hoped”.

Dr Harrison concludes “However, with the new insight developed in this work it will be possible to develop and engineer ATF candidates to better withstand these accident conditions, perhaps by adding other elements, such as aluminium, or manufacturing composite materials to give higher protection of the fuel material”.

The full title of the paper is “Atomistic Level Study of Ce₃Si₂ Oxidation as an Accident Tolerant Nuclear Fuel Surrogate”, and the DOI is 10.1016/j.corsci.2019.108332

Prof Grace Burke appointed Royal Microscopical Society president

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 16:07:50 +0100

, Director of the at 51��, has been named the (RMS).

Officially appointed at the RMS's flagship event the (mmc2019) in 51�� this week, Professor Burke becomes the society's fourth female president - and first female president from the physical sciences field.

She has a wealth of experience, including 30 years as a research scientist in the US before arriving at 51�� in 2011 as Professor of Materials Performance and Director of the Materials Performance Centre.

Her research group's activities cover many areas, including irradiation damage, stress corrosion cracking and environment-sensitive behaviour of steels and Ni-base alloys, as well as in situ analytical TEM techniques applied to understanding material performance.

Established in 1839, the is the oldest microscopy society in the world and is dedicated to furthering the science of microscopy.

Speaking to the RMS prior to mmc2019, Professor Burke said: "I am honoured, excited and indeed humbled to become president of such an internationally prominent society that has such an important, historic foundation."

Professor Barry Lennox awarded engineering Chair

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 09:50:39 +0100

Next-generation cameras that can see round corners, human-centred robots that can adapt to an individual's assistive needs and light-powered retinal implants that can restore people's vision are among the disruptive innovations championed by the 's latest Chairs in Emerging Technologies.

The Academy has made awards totalling over £20 million in research funding through its Chairs in Emerging Technologies programme, providing long-term support to nine world-leading engineers across the UK to advance emerging technologies.

From 51��, has been named as one of the nine recipients of the prestigious award. Professor Lennox, of the , will lead on the development of robotic systems for use in nuclear facilities, helping to reduce the risks associated with humans entering hazardous environments. The project will deliver cutting edge technology so robots can reliably carry out complex operational tasks in 'dirty' and unstructured environments, enabling robots to become commonplace in all areas of the nuclear industry.

Professor Lennox said: "The potential benefits that robotic systems offer the nuclear industry are vast, from accelerating the decommissioning of the nation's legacy facilities to enabling the effective operation of future nuclear fusion power plants.

"Unfortunately, developing robots that are able to operate in the nuclear industry and perform the complex tasks that are necessary is challenging and will take time. The Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies allows me to establish a sustainable programme of research over the next ten years that will be able to deliver robotic systems that can make a real difference to the nuclear industry."

The new technology areas developed by the Chairs in Emerging Technologies have the potential to considerably benefit society and the UK economy, and enable the nation to remain at the global forefront of engineering innovation. The areas of research funded reflect the UK's wider technological priorities, with many of the projects directly aligned to the government's Industrial Strategy and designed to tackle some of the biggest industrial and societal challenges of our time.

The ten-year support provided to the Chairs will enable them to progress their pioneering ideas from basic science through to full deployment and commercialisation.

The nine Chairs in Emerging Technologies are supported through the UK government's Investment in Research Talent initiative. In recognition of the importance of engineering research to the UK, the government has provided the Royal Academy of Engineering with a significant increase in funding to attract and retain the best research talent to the UK and support their work.

Kroll Zirconium Medal awarded to Prof Michael Preuss

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 10:54:32 +0000

Michael Preuss, Professor of Metallurgy in the School of Materials, has been awarded the prestigious 2018 .

The award recognises outstanding achievement in the field of zirconium research and technology, as well as the championing of future work in this area. The medal will be awarded at the ASTM Symposium on Zirconium in the Nuclear Industry, which 51�� will host in May - the first UK city to do so since 1978.

Professor Preuss is one of the youngest-ever recipients of the medal, which was first awarded in 1975. Zirconium research activity in the UK has increased rapidly since he established the 51�� zirconium technology group, part of the Materials Performance Centre, in 2003.

Anand Garde, Chairman of the Kroll Zirconium Medal Selection Committee, explained in his award letter that Professor Preuss has been recognised both for establishing the zirconium technology group - which is also now leading on a large EPSRC Programme Grant in the area of zirconium/fuel cladding research - and his research leadership in mechanistic understanding of irradiation damage in zirconium alloys and their oxides.

Golden opportunity to place UK at the forefront of nuclear materials research

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 11:42:53 +0000

The Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) has awarded a prestigious Programme Grant to a team of researchers from 51��, The University of Oxford, Imperial College London and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. Aiming for nothing less than gold, the programme is known as 'MIDAS', which stands for Mechanistic Understanding of Irradiation Damage in Fuel Assemblies.

MIDAS benefits from a unique set of industrially-relevant materials irradiated in a research reactor to very high fluence levels, which were contributed to the research team by Westinghouse and the international Nuclear Fuel Industry Research (NFIR) programme. Due to their unique nature these samples have significant worth, which, alongside the EPSRC funding and industrial commitments, bring the total value of the programme to around £25 million.

The assembly materials to be studied are used as protective cladding for the highly radioactive fuel used in a nuclear reactor. Due to the need to operate reactors as safely as possible, fuel is often removed well before it is spent because not enough is currently known about these materials, so plant operators must adopt a highly cautious, safety-first approach. This reduces the cost-efficiency of nuclear power as an energy option, as well as meaning that the fuel assembly prematurely becomes additional waste, which must be safely handled and stored over the long term.

Gaining greater understanding of the performance and behavioural properties of these materials in the extreme environment of a reactor core will enable better, more efficient use of nuclear fuel, providing routes to cleaner, cheaper and safer nuclear power.

Reactor safety, however, remains paramount, so MIDAS will also have a dedicated work package on better understanding fuel cladding behaviour in accident scenarios. The aim of this will be to ensure that reactors remain safe in the event of an incident such as Fukushima, and will include further work on the development of accident-tolerant fuels.

A further key theme of MIDAS will be to explore the use of zirconium alloys in critical components for future fusion reactors. The UK has a leading position in defining the materials that will be chosen for the ITER and DEMO international fusion projects, and this theme will contribute to maintaining the UK's reputation as a centre of excellence in fusion research.

Central to the programme will be the use of UK facilities at which work on active samples may be undertaken. These include National Nuclear User Facility sites at the National Nuclear Laboratory, Materials Research Facility and 51��'s Dalton Cumbrian Facility, as well as new capabilities made available through the Henry Royce Institute. These have received significant investment from the UK government, and MIDAS will be both a key beneficiary of this, and a trailblazing project to showcase what research is possible at these new and enhanced facilities.

The ultimate goal of MIDAS is to help the UK, and other countries, meet carbon reduction targets, and achieve an energy mix that produces less CO2. The MIDAS team will work closely with a range of UK and international industrial partners in addressing this challenge and translate fundamental research into real-world impact.

Professor Michael Preuss, of 51��'s School of Materials and the Materials Performance Centre, will lead the programme.

University awarded three CDTs and over £19m in research funding

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 09:00:00 +0000

51�� has secured more than £19million of research investment after being awarded three Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT).

The Centres will train the next generation of doctoral level students in a range of research and innovation disciplines across engineering and physical sciences.

51��’s CDTs are , based in our School of Materials; , based in the School of Chemistry and (Growing skills for Reliable Economic Energy from Nuclear) in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE).

The Centres will be funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It has allocated £444 million with a further £2.2 million coming from The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Industry partners are contributing a further £386 million in cash or in-kind. This funding will be split across 75 different CDTs around the country.

The will develop the next cohort of biomedical materials scientists to work in growing industries such as bioelectronics and fibre technology.

, Professor of Bioengineering and Programme Director for the Advanced Biomedical Materials CDT, said: “Biomedical materials have advanced dramatically over the past 50 years and continue to evolve today.

“With a rapidly growing and ageing population, there is greater demand for more effective and cost-effective healthcare interventions, and this CDT will train an interdisciplinary cohort of students to compete in this field.”

The is a collaboration between 51��, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield universities. This centre will train expert nuclear scientists and engineers.

51��’s GREEN centre lead, , said: “This is an extremely exciting time to work in nuclear science and engineering. The industry is witnessing significant investment and nuclear energy will be an essential component in the country’s efforts to meet climate change targets.”

The is will develop a new generation of interdisciplinary chemists and engineers specialising in biological and chemical catalysis which, simply put, is transforming the way molecules are made.

, Chair in Organic Chemistry at 51�� and Integrated Catalysis CDT Programme Director, said: “The UK has one of the world's top-performing chemical industries, achieving outstanding levels of growth, exports, productivity and international investment.

“We aim to train and develop a new generation of chemistry and engineering leaders with the skills to be at the forefront of that growth for years to come.”

The Centres will be funded through EPSRC, which has allocated £444 million and a further £2.2 million from The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The Centres’ 1,400 project partners have contributed £386 million in cash and in-kind support, and include companies such as Tata Steel and Procter and Gamble and charities such as Cancer Research UK.

Science and Innovation Minister Chris Skidmore added: “As we explore new research to boost our economy with an increase of over £7 billion invested in R&D over five years to 2021/22 – the highest increase for over 40 years – we will need skilled people to turn ideas into inventions that can have a positive impact on our daily lives.

“The Centres for Doctoral Training at universities across the country will offer the next generation of PHD students the ability to get ahead of the curve. In addition, this has resulted in nearly £400 million being leveraged from industry partners. This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action, ensuring all corners of the UK thrive with the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow.

“As Science Minister, I’m delighted we’re making this massive investment in postgraduate students as part of our increased investment in R&D.”

New Universities minister lauds ‘incredible talent’ in 51��

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:39:00 +0000

Nuclear robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and the amazing potential of graphene were all on the agenda as the new Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Chris Skidmore, came to 51�� campus today (Friday 21^st December).

The Minister, who was in the city visiting both its major higher education institutions, had a tour of the University’s newly opened as well as visiting the which is also led by, and based at, the University.

The GIEC, housed in the £65million Masdar Building, was itself only officially unveiled by His Royal Highness The Duke of York, last week.

During the tour, the Minister, who was accompanied by President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, met with leading academics as well as the University’s graphene industry partners and entrepreneurs.

The delegation was then showed around the state-of-the-art facility by James Baker, CEO of . He said: “It’s great to welcome the Minister to the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, a facility which will play a key role in developing advanced prototyping and manufacturing to translate great British innovation into the marketplace.”

The GEIC aims to accelerate the commercial impact of the so called ‘wonder material’, graphene, which was first isolated at 51�� in 2004. It will do this by working in collaboration with the , which is also based at the University.

James added: “51�� and the north is one of the most innovative regions in the UK, with a global reputation for leading scientific discovery. Graphene and 2D materials are just some of the more recent examples of ground-breaking science now being translated into commercial applications here.”

For the second part of his visit, the Minister headed to the RAIN project which uses robotic and AI technologies to solve challenges faced by the nuclear industry.

It is led by , Professor of Applied Control in the , he said: “Having the Minister come to 51��, and see the revolutionary work we’re doing first hand, really is a testament to our team and the research we’re doing right here on campus.

“He was really engaged with the work we’re doing here which is great news, not just for our university and the RAIN hub, but the wider energy, robotics and AI research communities in general.”

The tour comes just over a year since the University’s was initially awarded £12 million to establish and lead the RAIN project.

Science and Innovation Minister Chris Skidmore said: “From the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre to the RAIN Hub, 51�� is full of incredible talent and is at the forefront of developing the innovations of the future. 51��’s universities play a key role in this by developing the skills of tomorrow.

“We want to boost high skilled jobs across the country which is why through the modern Industrial Strategy, we are giving research and development the biggest boost in UK history.”

Researchers discover algae that can survive radioactive water

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 10:25:00 +0100

Researchers have discovered algae that can not only adapt to and survive in water contaminated with nuclear waste but could also potentially help ‘purify’ it .

The discovery could have wider environmental implications for cleaning up radioactive waters. That’s according to a new study from researchers at 51��’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

The 51�� researchers have been working closely with site operators at the Sellafield nuclear “megasite”, studying a deep, Olympic swimming pool-sized engineered pond used to store radioactive, nuclear fuel materials.

Using cutting-edge molecular forensics DNA sequencing tools, the team identified a species of algae that has adapted to the challenging life within radioactive waters.

Microorganisms have long adapted to thrive in the most inhospitable environments on Earth. They have been known to survive in extreme conditions allowing them to live in harsh environments such as hot springs and deep ocean trenches. However, this is the first time algae have been studied in an intensively radioactive nuclear fuel storage pond.

Colonisation of such inhospitable ponds is surprising, leaving researchers highly interested in how the microbes surivied in such inhospitable conditions.

Professor Jonathan Lloyd, Professor of Geomicrobiology, said: “The research comes with considerable environmental importance, as these microbes may accumulate the dissolved radionuclides present in the pond and other similar environments . With more work we may be able to understand how they could even help to “purify” contaminated waters.

“However, large colonies of microbial cells can also hamper the management of ponds by causing very poor visibility. Identifying the microorganisms present and understanding the survival strategies that they have evolved are key factors in controlling their growth when necessary.”

The Sellafield outdoor pond was colonised by a seasonal “bloom” of microorganisms dominated by the alga Haematococcus, which can accumulate high levels of radioactive isotopes in the water. This organism is not normally associated with deep water and you would be more likely to find it growing in a shallow bird bath.

Studies in 51�� showed that this unusual organism adapts to highly radioactive environments by producing the pigment astaxanthin, which protects the cells from radiation damage. In bird baths, Haematococcus uses this pigment to protect the cells from UV damage.

The team has now expanded its search for life to other ponds and facilities within Sellafield

Professor Lloyd added: “Alongside identifying the mechanisms that allow microbes to tolerate one of the most inhospitable environments imaginable, this work also supports the design of methods to control the growth of these hardy microorganisms, whose proliferation can complicate the management and ultimate decommissioning of these facilities.”

Reference: MeGraw VE, Brown AR, Boothman C, Goodacre R, Morris K, Sigee D, Anderson L, Lloyd JR. 2018. A novel adaptation mechanism underpinning algal colonization of a nuclear fuel storage pond. mBio 9:e02395-17. .

Topping out ceremony marks key milestone for University landmark engineering development

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 16:26:01 +0100

The 51�� Engineering Campus Development (MECD) – one of the largest capital projects ever undertaken by a UK higher education institution – has celebrated a key milestone in its construction.

A special event today marked the ‘topping out’ of the landmark development, a world-class facility that will benefit staff, students and visitors. MECD will house the University’s engineering disciplines, innovative teaching spaces and research institutes such as and the BP International Centre for Advanced Materials ().

The topping out ceremony was led by Professor Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of 51��, and Leo Quinn, the Group CEO of Balfour Beatty. As guests watched, the University’s Director of Estates and Facilities Diana Hampson, the Vice-President/Dean of Professor Martin Schröder and Balfour Beatty’s Chief Executive Dean Banks joined Nancy and Leo to sign a steel girder which marks the highest point of the new facility.

The £400 million project forms an essential part of 51��’s ten-year . It will support the University’s strategic goals by providing an outstanding learning environment and student experience, supporting world class research and further enabling the university’s social responsibility agenda.

Located near Oxford Road, MECD will consolidate the majority of the University’s estate onto one main campus, creating a more compact and coherent infrastructure that reduces the institution’s carbon footprint and costs. The move will also free up considerable land holdings in the north of the campus, enabling the University to play a significant role in the future economic success of the city by developing the site into a world-class innovation district over the next 20 years.

Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of 51��, said: “For well over a century 51�� has celebrated many achievements in science and engineering, and across our other disciplines too. The University’s impact on and contribution to society is constantly evolving and this can be vividly seen through our buildings.

“MECD will create a world-leading teaching, learning and research facility to develop the engineers, scientists and innovators of tomorrow.”

Diana Hampson, Director of Estates and Facilities at 51��, added: “The 51�� Engineering Campus Development will create state-of-the-art facilities that will put the University at the forefront of engineering globally, helping attract even more world-class talent to the institution. We are proud to provide such an exceptional space for our exceptional people.”

Key partners in the development include , concept architects , detail architects , project managers , project engineers and cost managers .

Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive, said: “We are proud to be working with the University of 51�� to deliver this innovative and world-class facility. I’m certain it will add to the UK’s reputation for engineering excellence - and encourage and inspire the next generations of expert engineers who will study here and help to shape our future.”

Upon completion, the development will host a wide range of flexible hi-specification laboratories and lecture spaces to welcome up to 7,000 students and 1,300 staff. MECD will also incorporate blended learning facilities, workshops and a ‘maker space’ where students will see their engineering creations come to life. Students will have the opportunity to work on a diverse range of projects ranging from artificial intelligence and robotics to sustainable energy solutions and space craft. Upon completion, the facility will benefit from ‘green’ construction techniques resulting in smart energy consumption and advanced water recycling and waste systems.

At peak construction, the project will employ a workforce of 1,000, including multiple apprenticeships and graduate placements. The project will also create new job opportunities for local people through the University’s , which provides local residents with exposure to career opportunities in the construction sector. The project team will maximise the use of off-site manufacturing and the latest technology to optimise construction efficiency and deliver a smart facility of the highest standard.

For more information, visit .

UK nuclear industry could be a national treasure – if it tackles these key issues

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 12:26:00 +0100

The nuclear industry provides about , makes a vital contribution to the country’s and is a remarkably safe form of energy with no major accidents since the in 1957. But despite all this, it still seems to suffer from disinterest and distrust from the public and these factors continue to dominate the nuclear narrative.

The industry is green, safe and has the potential to . Why then is the nuclear industry so often seen as a guilty secret rather than a national treasure, with most of the public opting for ?

Perhaps one reason the public has so far failed to embrace nuclear power is that people feel excluded from the journey it is taking and lack any influence over how new nuclear solutions might emerge. It is high time the industry found a way to make its case and forge its future, hand in hand with the British public. So here are a few thoughts on why this is so important and how, over time, it might be achieved.

Cutting carbon emissions

Nuclear power is making a key contribution towards the government’s which aims to reduce carbon emissions. Within this strategy, the government has committed to supporting the replacement of existing reactors as they come to the end of their lives. This has resulted in huge multi-billion pound projects at in Somerset, on Anglesey and in west Cumbria.

But all of these projects (particularly Hinkley Point) continue to attract significant controversy around – a debate which does nothing to promote long-term public confidence.

Risk and control

To guard against nuclear accidents like and – and in an attempt to make the public feel safe – the nuclear industry has always looked to shield, protect and distance society from . It has sought to offer reassurance through the power of its own expertise and the promise of strict control.

Of course, telling the public they don’t need to worry about something they can’t hope to fully understand – and traditionally associate with cataclysmic destruction – is virtually guaranteed to get their palms sweating. So, for many, nuclear investment has never risen above the status of a reluctant distress purchase, and is often better not

In reality, the UK’s nuclear energy story encompasses all the features necessary to capture the public’s attention and hold onto it. It’s an amazing technical concept and a high stakes journey of risk and reward with the future of the planet as the prize. If the industry wants to truly engage, then surely it needs to find new ways to invite people along for the ride.

‘Hybrid forums’

One new approach to public consultation uses so called . These forums bring together scientists and a diverse range of concerned stakeholders (such as local citizens, pressure groups and academic experts). These forums are convened to let problems emerge and to create a vision of the future that is common to everyone.

One example of a hybrid forum took place to address chronic flooding problems in . The forum enabled everyone who took part to share their knowledge and expertise and alight on the of gradually arresting the flow of floodwater, rather than providing expensive defences in the area itself.

Today’s nuclear grand challenges – like providing affordable nuclear power stations and disposing of nuclear waste – are “social” problems with resolutions which lie in creating and maintaining public support over many years. This is a common feature which makes them well suited to such a hybrid approach.

Geological Disposal Facilities

The hunt is already on for a volunteer host community for a (GDF) for the underground disposal of radioactive waste. Volunteer communities are compensated for hosting the facility through community investment funding.

With a GDF, radioactive waste would be put hundreds of metres underground. This is internationally recognised as the safest long-term solution to nuclear waste disposal. Having one in the UK will create jobs and guarantee investment for whichever community takes it on.

Small Modular Reactors

There is also growing interest in or SMRs. These are lower cost, factory-built units that provide localised power. Widespread adoption of SMRs as a more affordable alternative to large scale plants would mean many new nuclear sites would need to be established – many in urban areas. This, again, requires long-term public support.

SMRs have generated government and industry interest internationally because designers have suggested they may offer lower investment risk, cost less and offer greater compatibility with the electricity network.

51�� has set up to investigate the social challenges bound up in the UK’s nuclear future. We want to tackle all these questions head-on and bring fresh insights. But the ultimate test will be whether these insights can be made to resonate within the industry itself.

The nuclear debate must be expanded and enriched for the benefit of everyone. I hope that our research will help the general public to think more passionately about what the UK’s nuclear future could be like and whether current nuclear policy is taking us there.

, BNFL Chair in Nuclear Energy Systems, . This article was originally published on . Read the .

Historic physics lab is one of England’s top ten places for progress

Tue, 07 Aug 2018 15:04:31 +0100

The building where Nobel Prize-winner Ernest Rutherford discovered the structure of the atom in 1911 has been placed in the country’s top ten sites for ‘power, protest and progress’ by Historic England.

The Rutherford Building, which was formerly known as The Physics Laboratory, has been chosen alongside places such as The Palace of Westminster and the site of the Peterloo Massacre, as part of the top ten.

The discovery that the mass of an atom is concentrated in its nucleus, a particle 1,000 times smaller than the atom itself, with orbiting electrons making up rest of the atom, paved the way for splitting of the atom, and the initiation of the field of nuclear physics. For this, Rutherford is known as the “father of nuclear physics”.

Rutherford’s discoveries heralded not only nuclear power and weapons, but also many other technologies which we rely on today such as radiotherapy to fight cancer.

The University remains a leader in nuclear physics – as home to - the UK’s most advanced academic nuclear research capability. Here, research is undertaken across the entire nuclear fuel cycle – from innovative manufacturing techniques to waste management.

The University is also a leader in cancer sciences, working on imaging, proton beam therapy and radiotherapy.

Dr Francis Livens, Director of the Dalton Institute said: “Rutherford’s discoveries have changed our world. Having his lab placed on this list serves as a proud reminder that the ground-breaking work we carry out today has its origins right here in 51��.”

The Rutherford Building was among ten sites chosen from hundreds of public nominations in Historic England’s campaign ‘’, sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance.

For David Olusoga, the historian who judged the nominations, the building “is a critically important site in the creation of the nuclear age, in which we still live.”

The building was not only occupied by Rutherford: Henry Moseley's physical explanation of the different properties of chemical elements and the consequent Rutherford-Bohr model of the atom were developed there in 1915, and the 'splitting of the atom' in 1919. Other members of the 51�� team included Hans Geiger (co-inventor of the Geiger counter), Georg Halevy (radioactive tracers), Ernest Marsden (atomic nucleus) and James Chadwick (a 51�� student who later discovered the neutron).

When Rutherford went to Cambridge in 1919, 51�� appointed William Lawrence Bragg, who had shared a Nobel Prize with his father for inventing x-ray crystallography. He was succeeded by Patrick Blackett, a Nobel Prize winner for his work on cosmic rays and a pioneer of geomagnetism.

Work on cosmic rays led to radio astronomy and the University's world famous 'big dish', created by Bernard Lovell at Jodrell Bank in the 1950s. Jodrell Bank, part of the University of 51��, also features in the Historic England 100 list, where it is included in .

The ten places in the final category Power, Protest & Progress are:

The Palace of Westminster, London
St Peter’s Square, 51��
Bristol Bus Station, Wapping Road, Bristol
The Pitman’s Parliament, Durham Miners’ Hall, Redhill, Durham
Cable Street, East London
73 Riding House Street, Westminster, London
Group Operation Room, Uxbridge, London
Sycamore in the village of Tolpuddle, Dorset
Rutherford Building, University of 51��, Oxford Road, 51��
Bosworth Battlefield, Leicestershire

For more on Rutherford and the Rutherford Building, visit the University’s Heritage website

Expert Comment: Nuclear Energy, why we are all invested in its success or failure

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0100

51��’s is taking a revolutionary new approach to nuclear-related research by encouraging a lasting engagement between ‘traditional’ nuclear sciences and social science researchers.

Here, explains why this new interdisciplinary approach, in the form of , is long overdue in a sector that has been dominated by rigid regulation and research boundaries.

Nuclear Energy projects are, by their nature, ‘social’ endeavours. Why? Because any industry is a reflection of the society in which it resides.

The extent to which the industry can realise its aims and ambitions is undoubtedly linked to prevalent attitudes and cultures within its workforce or surrounding environment.

For many policymakers and energy experts, nuclear energy represents an environmentally responsible solution to the current energy and climate crisis. Plus, in the UK alone, financial commitments to new build and decommissioning are already forecast to exceed £100 billion with this number increasing all the time.

But, increasingly, fundamental policy decisions cannot be enacted without the support of all stakeholders both within and outside the sector. For example, in the UK, the successful implementation of a new nuclear build, or (GDF) for nuclear waste, are both dependent on securing and maintaining public trust. This can sometimes be difficult as the general public and other influential stakeholders still have some deep misgivings or general antipathy towards the sector, meaning important debates remain unresolved.

For example, current trends towards the possible future deployment of smaller reactors alongside the relaunched search for a volunteer site for GDFs will inevitably lead to new communities being exposed to the nuclear debate.

Similarly, the long term programmes to clean up the UK’s nuclear estate are reliant both on generating the public trust necessary to sanction activities which may increase short term risk for long term gain, and sustaining an organisational culture that supports individuals in making these difficult decisions.

All this means that, as a sector, we must find new ways of opening up and sustaining these conversations. The aim of is to change the quality and depth of public debate on nuclear matters in the UK, moving beyond an entrenched politics of acceptance or rejection.

The Beam has a number of research projects already in progress where contemporary social science thinking is being applied within a nuclear setting. This includes a consideration of alternative approaches to public consultation as well as an assessment of the social barriers and enablers to innovation.

Where possible we look to adopt an where academics are embedded into nuclear communities, bringing a unique perspective and insight into issues as they emerge and develop.

51��’s position among the preeminent institutions leading nuclear research, alongside its breadth of world class capability in social sciences, business, law and humanities make it ideally placed to become a UK focal point for the coordination and dissemination of this research work. Furthermore, the University’s established links into the global industry will help facilitate the translation of theoretical impact into implemented solutions.

Prof Richard Taylor, Dalton Nuclear Institute and School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, is the BNFL chair in Nuclear Energy Systems at the University, he previously worked for the National Nuclear Laboratory and has 30 years’ experience in the Nuclear Sector.

The University is launching its Beam network in London on 18^th July where industry influencers will be invited to contribute their ideas on research priorities.

Fukushima-Daiichi radioactive particle release was significant says new research

Thu, 24 May 2018 10:17:50 +0100

Scientists say there was a significant release of radioactive particles during the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident.

The researchers identified the contamination using a new method and say if the particles are inhaled they could pose long-term health risks to humans.

The new method allows scientists to quickly count the number of caesium-rich micro-particles in Fukushima soils and quantify the amount of radioactivity associated with these particles.

The research, which was carried out by scientists from Kyushu University, Japan, and 51��, UK, was published in .

In the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, it was thought that only volatile, gaseous radionuclides, such as caesium and iodine, were released from the damaged reactors. However, in recent years it has become apparent that small radioactive particles, termed caesium-rich micro-particles, were also released. Scientists have shown that these particles are mainly made of glass, and that they contain significant amounts of radioactive caesium, as well as smaller amounts of other radioisotopes, such as uranium and technetium.

The abundance of these micro-particles in Japanese soils and sediments, and their environmental impact is poorly understood. But the particles are very small and do not dissolve easily, meaning they could pose long-term health risks to humans if inhaled.

Therefore, scientists need to understand how many of the micro-particles are present in Fukushima soils and how much of the soil radioactivity can be attributed to the particles. Until recently, these measurements have proven challenging.

The new method makes use of a technique that is readily available in most Radiochemistry Laboratories called Autoradiography. In the method, an imaging plate is placed over contaminated soil samples covered with a plastic wrap, and the radioactive decay from the soil is recorded as an image on the plate. The image from plate is then read onto a computer.

The scientists say radioactive decay from the caesium-rich micro particles can be differentiated from other forms of caesium contamination in the soil.

The scientists tested the new method on rice paddy soil samples retrieved from different locations within the Fukushima prefecture. The samples were taken close to (4 km) and far away (40 km) from the damaged nuclear reactors. The new method found caesium-rich micro-particles in all of the samples and showed that the amount of caesium associated with the micro-particles in the soil was much larger than expected.

Dr Satoshi Utsunomiya, Associate Professor at Kyushu University, Japan, and the lead author of the study says “when we first started to find caesium-rich micro-particles in Fukushima soil samples, we thought they would turn out to be relatively rare. Now, using this method, we find there are lots of caesium-rich microparticles in exclusion zone soils and also in the soils collected from outside of the exclusion zone”.

, Senior Lecturer in Analytical Radiochemistry at the University of 51�� and an author on the paper, adds: “Our research indicates that significant amounts of caesium were released from the Fukushima Daiichi reactors in particle form.

“This particle form of caesium behaves differently to the other, more soluble forms of caesium in the environment. We now need to push forward and better understand if caesium micro-particles are abundant throughout not only the exclusion zone, but also elsewhere in the Fukushima prefecture; then we can start to gauge their impact”.

The new method can be easily used by other research teams investigating the environmental impact of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

Dr Utsunomiya adds: “we hope that our method will allow scientists to quickly measure the abundance of caesium-rich micro-particles at other locations and estimate the amount of caesium radioactivity associated with the particles. This information can then inform cost effective, safe management and clean-up of soils contaminated by the nuclear accident”.

The paper, has been published in the journal of Environmental Science – DOI:10.1021/acs.est.7b06693

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