Centre for Nuclear Engineering Newsletter Welcome to this edition of the Centre for Nuclear Engineering Newsletter. This is an occasional letter to bring you up NovDec to date on recent developments in the CNE. 2014 Issue | 5 News and Events by Emma J. Warriss, Dimitri Pletser and Edoardo Giorgi The conference was interactive character, was incredibly jointly organised by helpful to the CNE delegation as this the German Society allowed for interaction with the many of Glass Technology experts present in that session. This (DGG) and the interaction helped the CNE delegation American Ceramic gauge the work and problems of others Society Glass & and served as a reassurance that we are Optical Material all facing the same issues. All in all it Division (GOMD) was a very fruitful week for the whole and covered a broad Imperial College delegation. spectrum of glass topics. These topics Hitachi seminar were discussed in many parallel panel Hitachi and Horizon launched their ABWR seminar series at Imperial Imperial Professor headed sessions and included, among other, optical properties and laser applications, College on 1-2nd July. The seminar the UK delegation to the IAEA fundamentals of the glassy state, was attended by over 80 people from General Conference in Vienna bioglass and its medical applications, across the nuclear industry and many universities. The seminar series consists Prof Robin Grimes (above) led the modelling of glass systems, industrial of six meetings to be held at Imperial, UK delegation to the IAEA General glass making applications and vitreous Manchester and Birmingham discussing Conference in Vienna, this is the first nuclear waste properties, dissolution the ABWR’s to be built at Wylfa and time that an academic has led the and vitrification technology. The Oldbury. delegation. The delegation from the UK conference was attended by many of included experts from DECC, ONR and the most influential glass 15 UK companies from the UK Nuclear scientists from around Industry. the world, including many specialists in the field of DGG–GOMD 2014 conference nuclear waste vitrification. report This made for an inspiring and interdisciplinary From the 25th to the 30th of May a environment to learn delegation from Imperial College visited about the current state of the DGG–ACerS GOMD 2014 conference the art in all the different in Aachen, Germany. This delegation aspects of glass and its consisted of Charlie Hutchison, Nor applications. Especially Ezzaty Ahmad and Dimitri Pletser from the nuclear waste the CNE and Amy Nommeots-Nomm workshop on Friday, which from Prof. Julian Jones’ Bioglass group. had a more open and Centre for Nuclear Engineering 2 Issue | 5 . Newsletter CNE Finalist in the YGN place), to the moving personal stories of 5th EDF Annual Lecture Speakers Competition people that still live in the quarantined The 5th EDF Annual Lecture entitled area surrounding the Chernobyl power “HR Vision 2020” was given by Marianne On the 7th Oct the Nuclear Institute plant (Kate Martin). Another presenter hosted the National Finals of the Laigneau, EDF Group Senior Executive (Beth Ripper, 2nd place) used clever Vice President, HR, on 7th October Young Generation Network Speaker interactive methods to explain the competition. Patrick Burr a PhD student 2014. The event was well attended complex challenge of storing spent with approx. 200 people from across from the CNE was a finalist in this event nuclear fuel. having previously won the central Imperial, Industry and the general England branch heat. “The quality of the presentations was public. higher than ever before”, says Tim Six candidates, each a winner of their Chittenden, NI president and leader regional heats, gathered in Birchwood of this year’s judging panel. The event (Warrington) from all over the country not only provides an opportunity to to give their presentations in front of a practice public speaking skills, and win mixed audience comprising of nuclear up to £300, but is also a fantastic social experts and lay people alike. event in which graduates can network Presentation topics varied from the with leaders and peers from the nuclear futuristic design of an orbiting solar industry. power plant (Douglas Hard, 3rd place), Well-deserved congratulations go out to an engaging and controversial to Patrick for reaching the finals of this analysis of the history of the British hotly contested competition. nuclear industry (Ross Murison, 1st Our Nucelar Heritage by Emma J. Warriss and Edoardo Giorgi From NNL a flash into Imperial’s Nuclear Past was dug up and kindly passed onto us. During a Joint National Programme between the National Lab, UKAEA and Imperial College in 1965 new ways to structure reactor pressure vessels were investigated. As I. Davidson recounts: “The model spherical concrete pressure vessel shown was designed by the Authority and built at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London by Simon Carves Ltd” a technology led engineering consultancy founded in Manchester. The photo was taken during testing under the direction of Professor A.L.L Baker in the College’s Concrete Durability Lab, one of the two state-of-the-art Structural Engineering Laboratories focused on investigating all aspects of concrete degradation. Image and quote taken from “The Reactor”, Volume 4, No. 3 Spring 1965. Centre for Nuclear Engineering Newsletter Issue | 5 3 New Faces at Imperial by Emma J. Warriss and Edoado Giorgi New starter - Prof Laurence Williams FREng Prof Williams has joined us from UCLan where he was the Director of UCLan Nuclear and Professor of Nuclear Safety and Regulation. His appointment at Imperial was made possible by funding from Lloyds Register. Prof Williams is one of the world’s leading experts in nuclear safety regulation. He was HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations and the Chief Engineer and Director for Nuclear Safety, Security and Environment at the NDA. He is currently the Chair of the CoRWM, which advises the Government and the Devolved Administrations on the UK Government’s Waste Management Programme. CDT Recruitment The EPSRC ICO Nuclear Energy CDT From left to right: Johannes Brokx, Richard Pearson, Alex Kenich, Charles Alan, has gotten off to a flying start with nine Bhaswati Guha, William White, Sophie Morrison, Mark Mawdsley, Andrew Wilson new starters in October 2014 as our the MSc in Nuclear Engineering and Cambridge or Open University first cohort. The cohort will spend their on successful completion will head off depending on their projects. first year at Imperial College studying to complete their PhD’s at Imperial, My Summer Placement Experience at NNL by Yehia Amar When I applied for a summer placement Management & Decommissioning team active environment of the Central Lab at The National Nuclear Laboratory in with my team manager Sean Clarke. in Sellafield. December 2013, I specified that of all The lengthy security vetting process for I worked on two projects during my of their locations in England, I wanted clearance and access to the Sellafield placement; my first project was to to work in the Central Laboratory in site meant that I wasn’t able to start investigate various aspects of an Sellafield because I had read about the until August but fortunately I was able innovative process called GeoMelt, a in- crucial work they do in managing the to work at the NNL Workington site container-vitrification technology that UKs legacy nuclear waste materials. for 2 weeks until my Sellafield pass vitrifies low-level nuclear waste into a After a CV screening and an hour- came through. NNL has a rig hall in stable glass-crystalline product. This long interview, I received news that Workington, which is the site for all technology is a joint venture between my application was successful and non-nuclear testing of rig facilities US-based environmental treatment that I would be placed in the Waste before they are taken to the nuclear- company Kurion and NNL, and will soon Centre for Nuclear Engineering 4 Issue | 5 . Newsletter be used for the first time at the Central of magnitudes of these volumetric flow in. Lab, which is a big milestone for NNL. rates which showed that water had I would certainly recommend a summer It has been proven to be effective in ingressed via threads in the fuel cans placement at NNL to penultimate the USA and Japan and will now, for very early on in their storage period year student on the Imperial College the first time, be brought to the UK (likely in the late 1960s). nuclear engineering degree interested to treat low-level-waste and orphan On the last day of my placement, in getting a real life experience of some wastes. Before it can be launched I presented my findings to Sean key issues surrounding the nuclear however, extensive tests and studies Clarke, my manager; NNL’s Business industry. This will provide you with a must be conducted. I learned that the Leader in Waste Management and strong experience that will help in the launch of any new technology in the Decommissioning, Barney Whyte; Dr. final year nuclear modules as well as give nuclear industry is a very challenging Susan Morgan and project managers you an idea of how an R&D environment process (and at times demoralising John McGibbon and Steve McCullough. suits your career aspirations. My given the extremely extensive scrutiny It was extremely rewarding as their experience has given me a valuable of a technology’s feasibility), with many feedback to me was very positive and insight into the UK nuclear industry and obstacles to overcome and regulatory indicated how serious and important the confidence to pursue postgraduate frameworks to deal with. For example, an endeavour it is to understand the education in nuclear energy. If anyone before being able to move the GeoMelt behaviour of spent fuel.