Titans Of Nuclear | Interviewing The World Experts On Nuclear Energy

In this episode, we discuss... Mathijs' inspiration and personal evolution in the nuclear field.   A deep dive into the world-wide energy dilemma.   The economics of natural resources and renewables.   The flawed assumptions surrounding stability of natural resources and renewables.   The disparity between OECD and non-OECD consumption and its potential future implications.   Consumerism's significant role in the energy equation.   Paradigm shifts Mathjis believes OECD countries must undergo in order to reduce their energy consumption.   Ways in which nuclear energy can play a vital role in preventing climate change.   Saving the world from energy poverty.   Our dwindling carbon allowance and how it dictates the solutions available to us.  

In this episode, we discuss... The fields of metallurgy and powder metallurgy.   How the various fields function within the processes of shaping and forging steel.   The molecular interactions involved in creating different types of steel.   3D printing and how it is used to forge materials otherwise difficult to manipulate.  Wade's personal evolution from a student of metallurgy to VTT's Laboratory Director.   A deep dive into the research conducted at the VTT Centre for Nuclear Safety.   Flexible, multi-scale experimental environments for material testing.   The future of material science and its vital role in the nuclear space. 

In this episode, we discuss... Rauli's blog about oil's unique properties and his interest in the nuclear field.   The concept of Peak Oil and why a dependence on oil is a problem.   Writing "The Climate Gamble" and the three arguments incorporated into the book.   How the distribution of literature about nuclear can clear misconceptions held by others.   Problems in messaging from the nuclear industry over the last 40 years.   The importance of not talking about nuclear safety culture.   Communication theory as it relates to nuclear industry.   Rauli's research on the applications of nuclear energy and high temperature reactors.   Public and political discourse about nuclear energy.   Combining heat and power and its effect on energy production.   The negative consequences of banning coal and the importance of coming up with alternatives.   Where to go to learn more about nuclear.  

In this episode, we discuss... Ville's previous misperceptions about nuclear energy and how he overcame them.   Generation 4 and how the new reactors can be more economic, more versatile, and safer.   The Super Critical Water Reactor and the neutronics behind it.   Fuel Behavior Analysis and what exactly it entails.   The Halden Reactor in Norway.   Modeling responses to pressure differentials.   The potential applications of Small Module Reactors.   Why the amount of electricity SMRs can bring to the grid are more flexible than the current fleet.   A comparison of the load-following capabilities of SMRs and larger power plants.   Ice-breaker reactors on their ships.   The different industries that can use nuclear heat.    Why it is necessary for the nuclear industry to advocate for the use of nuclear energy.  

In this episode, we discuss... Atte's interest in history and his involvement in politics during University.   Researching the socioeconomic impact of climate change.   The history of the Finnish people and political institutions.   The relationship between politics and climate policy.   How approaches to solving problems and talking about politics have changed over time.   The various political parties in Finland and their platforms.   Working at the intersection of research and politics.   The advantage of being able to communicate science to politicians and vise-versa.   Perceptions of the nuclear industry in Finnish politics and society.   How the idea of renewable energy is a problem.   Why we are lacking incentives to act on climate change.   What changing our priorities look like and a market-driven approach to climate change.   The benefits and disadvantages of regulating the removal of fossil infrastructure completely.  

In this episode, we discuss... Toni's interest in environmental protection, energy, and climate change.   The culture in Finland.   His involvement in the steel industry and their relationship with nuclear.   Innovative projects surrounding heat consumption and the issue's importance in Finland.   Energy procurement and investing in the nuclear industry.   The impact of nuclear energy on climate change v. other forms of energy.   Other parties involved in establishing new nuclear companies.   What the current nuclear landscape in Finland looks like.   Why it is important to collaborate to solve challenges.   The level of rigor required in building a nuclear power plant.   What we learned about light water reactor meltdowns and how we can apply these lessons to future designs.   Milestones in the power plant project.  

In this episode, we discuss... Michael's interest in particle physics and his work as a high energy physicist.   The difference between antimatter and antiprotons.   Annihilation and why the occurrence of antimatter collisions are more common than you think.  Constituents of a normal matter atom.   Measuring the gravitational effect between matter and antimatter.   The Grand Unification Theory and understanding gravity.   Why understanding high energy physics is crucial to diagnosing and treating cancer and tumors.   How high energy physics has led to the commercialization of technology.   The catch of using gamma therapy to treat tumors and what must be done instead.   Using accelerators to drive the production of thermal neutrons.   Ripping electrons off of normal atoms and how targeted annihilation can kill surrounding cells.   Cost-drivers of the current system.   Neutrinos and the DUNE Experiment.  

In this episode, we discuss... Giovanni's fascination with clean energy and his experiment on neutronics.   Instrumentation and the uniqueness of sodium reactors.   The role of particle accelerators in cancer treatments.   Gaseous hydrogen and ionization.   Developing technology and the impact of its commercialization.   How the World Wide Web was originally developed to aid scientists.  The MEDICIS Project and its potential contributions to the field of medicine.   Deficits of current isotopes.    The relationship between medical imaging and high energy physics.   How an accelerator can impact radio isotope production.   Dating art and understanding cultural heritage through the use of particle accelerators.  

In this episode, we discuss... Steven's introduction to nuclear through physical chemistry.   An explanation of CERN's mission and the Large Electron Positron Collider.   Antimatter and the Z Boson.   Why the effective mass of particles increase as you get closer to the speed of light.   The misconceptions of particle collisions and an explanation of their interactions.   The benefits of partnering with others in the industry.   Collecting data through Z factories and the families of particles and quark.   The Theory of Super-Symmetry and the Grand Unification Theory.   Why it's better to refer to dark matter as invisible matter and its interaction with light in space.   The ATLAS Experiment and photographing particle collisions.   How measuring the Higgs Boson can help give us a new window into physics.  

In this episode, we discuss... Yves' start as a nuclear engineer at the Power Utility of France (EDF).   How the perception of nuclear energy in France has changed over time.   USEPR and developing the US version of a European pressurized reactor.   How to make nuclear investment profitable in spite of low competition prices.   The background behind and challenges of Hinkley Point C.   The impact of the electricity market's volatility.   Why Contract for Difference and economic modeling can help attract investors to the industry.   The similarities and differences of the anti-nuclear movements in the US and Europe.   FORATOM and its mission.   Decision-making processes within the European Union and consequences of the Euratom Treat.   The impact of Germany phasing out their nuclear power.    What must be done to change the perception of the nuclear industry.   What next generation technology looks like and what the future holds for the nuclear industry.  

In this episode, we discuss... Paul's introduction to the nuclear industry as a project finance attorney for Bechtel.   The definition and history of nuclear project financing.   The ability and benefits of a state wanting to purchase a power plant v. a municipality.   Issues associated with financial modeling.   Innovative financing and financing from a lender's perspective.   The benefits of regulation and deregulation of the market.   Why competition in the market isn't always good.   The disadvantages of using renewables both in construction and application.   The economic impact of global warming and why messaging matters.   Double standards that exist in the oil and nuclear industry.   Why the US government and nuclear corporations need to come together and provide one voice.   Bilateral relationships and the geopolitical nuances of the nuclear industry.    

In this episode, we discuss...​ Laura's entrance into the nuclear field.   Discovering how to reduce weapons of mass destruction through cooperation.   The history behind and challenges of implementing the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction.   The evolution of nuclear threats and the modern approach to securing nuclear materials.   Nuclear Threat Initiative and its impact.   Addressing the spent fuel pool in a facility outside Belgrade.   How the Global Threat Initiative became a launchpad for addressing proliferation challenges.   Laura's duties and accomplishments as an ambassador for the IAEA.   Nuclear safety and security culture.   Why bringing nuclear energy to a country can reduce the nuclear weapons risk.   The challenges we face today in the international nuclear community.  

Episode Content: Ken's start with the Nuclear Arms Control Program at the Association for the Advancement of Science.   Why it is important to make technical nuclear concepts accessible to others.   How the theory of arms control is viewed then and now.   The lack of institutional adaptation and why it is essential to reform it.   The Cooperative Threat Reduction and the Nuclear Security Summit Process.   How the nuclear nonproliferation community and nuclear energy committee united.   The prejudice against nuclear and the issue of nuclear geopolitics.   The consequences of a disturbed supply chain.   Why the global security regime for nuclear power must be improved.   Cyber-nuclear and artificial intelligence.   The importance of maintaining the "New Iron Triangle."  

Episode Content:​ Amanda's interest in chemistry and her work at a crime lab.   A breakdown of molybdenum 99 and technetium 99m.   Why metastable isotopes are useful for medical applications.   What are ligins?   From a security perspective, why it's in the US' interest to domestically produce molybdenum 99.   The traditional and nontraditional methods of producing molybdenum 99.   Tradeoffs of different production processes.   The Argonne Molybdenum Research Experiment.   Why precipitating uranium creates a hotspot.   How corrosion can be beneficial in producing uranium peroxide precipitate.   What's in store for the future.  

Episode Content: Tom's introduction to the nuclear industry from a history project.   How Chernobyl reinforced the importance of nuclear and safety.   Why reactor physicists are crucial when designing reactors.   Unprotected loss of flow tests and unprotected loss of heat sink tests.   Scram Systems and their importance during a shutdown failure.   The Generation 4 International Forum.   Why it's important to be involved and engaged in the international community.   The difference in start-up procedures for sodium reactors and light water reactors.   SAS and what code means in the nuclear world.   Economic modeling for reactors and the future of sodium technology.  

Episode Content: Hussein's fascination with reactor physics and kinetics.   Methods used to recover detailed information of reaction rates in the core.   The definition of course information.   How reducing computational uncertainty allows you to design closer to material capability.   Time-dependent changes to chemical structures.   How predictions and data encourage the move away from light water reactors.   Moving from spent fuel to used fuel.   The implications of pyro-processing.   The Generation 4 Initiative and the future of nuclear reactors.   How to economically analyze technology options.   The importance of having a diverse system of commercially-pursued technology.   Addressing the challenge of bringing new technologies to the market.  

Episode Content: Chris' start in the Nuclear Propulsion Office Candidate Program.   Training with the A1W Prototype in Idaho Falls.   Technology development and sodium-cooled power plants.   Improving the cost performance of technology.   Advanced and vessel refueling machines.   Sodium and its different mediums.   The history of metal and the importance of building to increasing scale for commercialization.   Alkaline metal technology development.   Function of the cold trap in a sodium loop.   The differences between a sodium system and a light water system.   Aqueous and pyro processing technology development  The importance of maintaining the US' technology edge and knowledge base 

Episode Content: John's introduction to nuclear during his work with the Geological Survey.   How radiocarbon dating actually works.   The interdisciplinary nature of the nuclear industry.   In what circumstances types of fuels are considered efficient.   Energy produced with plutonium v. uranium.   Core-reload strategies and how it can save billions in electricity production.   Improving efficiency without compromising safety.   The importance of economies of scale and innovation culture.   Why studying the effect of radiation on materials is important.   Isotope production and its different medical applications.   Stress-test procedures and radioactive contrast.   A discussion about high density fuel.  

Episode Content: Spencer's start studying the history of science at the American Institute of Physics.   Unraveling the origin of the French Nuclear Program.   The intersection of nuclear fear and politics.   The role of psychology in understanding public reluctance towards nuclear energy.   The interaction between carbon dioxide and oceans; the significance of climate change.   A discussion of the race between technology and the evolution of human morality.   How nuclear imagery can affect our perception of nuclear energy.   The importance of political culture in the international sphere.   The outlook of nuclear energy, moving forward.  

Episode Content: Ken's start doing safety analysis, including his work at Three Mile Island.   How probabilistic risk assessment correlates to what happens at plants.   An overview of the risk-informed regulation movement in the 90's.   The role of vents during nuclear plant accidents.   Nuclear maintenance, plant engineering, and risk assessment.   The best strategies to control fission products after severe accidents.   Severe accident analysis and international collaborations.   Defining HEPA filters and identifying its impact.   The roadmap to commercialization and the importance of identifying the market.   Why research and development is crucial to form partnerships.