LLAW’s ‘All Things Nuclear’ #546 (02/20/2024)

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

FEB 20, 2024

1

Share

LLAW’s COMMENTS, Monday (02/20/2024)

All I have to say is that I don’t think this collaboration study on AI is going to prevent or save us from making mistakes before, during, or after the study that are crucial to ‘all things nuclear’, especially nuclear power plants, and that reality tells us that if AI makes a mistake along the way, it doesn’t give a damn. No remorse means a definite inability to correct. That is my fear, but the study is a five-year plan, which is a good thing. But what is the potential of an unrepairable error during the life of the study? Read the article . . . ~llaw

Home
  • IAEA Designates First Collaborating Centre on Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear Power

IAEA Designates First Collaborating Centre on Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear Power

20 Feb 2024

Alexei Miassoedov, Department of Nuclear Energy

Sara Kouchehbagh, Department of Nuclear Energy

AI offers the potential to optimize numerous processes within nuclear power plants. (Photo: Adobe Stock).

The IAEA has designated the Center for Science of Information at Purdue University in the United States of America as the first IAEA Collaborating Centre to support the Agency’s activities on artificial intelligence (AI) for nuclear power applications, including reactor design, plant operations, and training and education.

Thanks to rapid progress in computational resources and data analysis tools, the nuclear industry has already started to benefit from AI, including with machine learning techniques that can streamline nuclear power plant operations and maintenance. AI is also supporting the development of advanced nuclear power technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs).

“With more and more countries looking to nuclear energy to address climate change and sustainable development, this Collaborating Centre will provide much needed support for our Member States in using AI to advance the innovation driving the global nuclear sector,” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy.

The five-year Collaborating Centre agreement will support IAEA programmatic activities and knowledge sharing on advancements and innovation in AI for nuclear power. This includes Agency initiatives on benchmark exercises for developing confidence and community-wide acceptance of Al technology for nuclear power, establishing a “benchmarking hub” for coordination and data management, as well as other activities relevant to the development and assessment of Al technologies in collaboration with IAEA Member States.

AI offers the potential to optimize numerous processes within nuclear power plants. It could be used to bolster efficiency and ensure a steady electricity supply by adjusting power generation based on real-time data, including consumer demand, weather and equipment performance. Automation using robotics and AI systems could handle routine tasks, reducing the need for human input. AI could also improve fuel efficiency and maximize the energy output of reactors.

“This Collaborating Centre will help build confidence in AI applications for high consequence systems, such as nuclear reactors. Without reliable quantification, the nuclear community’s ability to realize the potential of AI will be diminished and this will negatively impact its ability to remain competitive in the energy market,” said Hany Abdel-Khalik, Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the Center for Science of Information, which advances information theory through collaborative research and teaching.

“AI may bring significant advancements to the nuclear power sector, enhancing both efficiency and sustainability,” said Tatjana Jevremovic, an expert with the IAEA’s Nuclear Power Technology Development Section.

The Collaborating Centre agreement is part of recent IAEA efforts to strengthen support to countries interested in using AI for nuclear science and technology. A 2022 IAEA publication reviewed the challenges and priorities for future AI activities, including those relevant to nuclear power as well as nuclear sciences and applications, among others. The IAEA’s International Network on Innovation to Support Operating Nuclear Power Plants (ISOP) is examining the regulatory and technical aspects of AI deployment. Several coordinated research projects related to AI are underway, with  one set to launch on how AI and other innovative technologies proposed for SMRs can be secured.

The agreement comes after the Agency recently designated the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center as the first Collaborating Centre focused on accelerating fusion research, with an emphasis on AI applications to advance the IAEA’s AI for Fusion initiative.

IAEA Collaborating Centres

To promote the peaceful use of nuclear technologies, the IAEA collaborates with designated institutions around the world. Through the Collaborating Centres network, these organizations in Member States can assist the IAEA by undertaking original research and development and training relating to nuclear science, technologies and their safe and secure applications. With the newly designated Center for Science of Information at Purdue University Collaborating Centre, there are now 73 active Collaborating Centres worldwide.


ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 6 categories (including a bonus category at the end for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity that also play an important role in humanity’s lives) as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links to the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear War
  4. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in tonight’s Post.)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (per above). If a category heading does not appear, it means there was no news reported from this category today. There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available tonight.

(A reminder, just in case: When linked, the access to the media story will be underlined. If there is no link to a media story of interest you can still copy and paste the headline and lead line into your browser to find the article you are seeking. Hopefully this will never happen.)

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS (02/20/2024):

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

The Conversation: Is Russia looking to put nukes in space? Doing so would undermine …

The Portland Press Herald

All Things to Do · All PPH Events · Guides · Out & About · Event Calendar · Add … Others suspect a weapon that is nuclear-powered but not a nuclear …

The US Military Almost Deployed Nuclear Missile Trains on American Railroads During the Cold War

Military.com

… nuclear attack for the real thing. … Be sure to get the latest news about the U.S. military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the …

How Many Sentinel Missiles Does the United States Need? – War on the Rocks

War on the Rocks

… about a global nuclear exchange between the Soviet Union and … All of the Air Force’s nuclear programs are centrally managed by the Air Force Nuclear …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

What could the ‘nuclear renaissance’ hold for Tennessee? Thousands of high paying jobs

Knoxville News Sentinel

The study modeled the hypothetical impact of investing $1 billion in constructing a new nuclear power plant using data from existing power plants.

Exclusive: India seeks $26 billion of private nuclear power investments – Reuters

Reuters

India will invite private firms to invest about $26 billion in its nuclear energy sector to increase the amount of electricity from sources that …

India seeks $26 bln of private nuclear power investments – The Economic Times – The Economic Times

IAEA Designates First Collaborating Centre on Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear Power

International Atomic Energy Agency

AI offers the potential to optimize numerous processes within nuclear power plants. (Photo: Adobe Stock). The IAEA has designated the Center for …

Nuclear War

NEW

Alarming new warnings about Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – NBC News

NBC News

Nearly two years since the war in Ukraine began, the IAEA and Ukrainian officials are increasingly worried that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power …

Former Russian President Medvedev threatens to nuke the US, UK, Germany & Ukraine – YouTube

YouTube

The Russia-Ukraine war continues to rage on. Meanwhile, the threat of a nuclear war is looming. The West and Russia are still at a crossroads.

The US Military Almost Deployed Nuclear Missile Trains on American Railroads During the Cold War

Military.com

The Cuban Missile Crisis was two decades in the rearview, but in the early 1980s, Cold War tensions between the United States and Soviet Union …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Iran: Work Begins On New Research Reactor – Eurasia Review

Eurasia Review

The organisation has also declared operational a new emergency control room simulator for unit 1 at the Bushehr nuclear power plant. “The concrete …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Life Aboard a Nuclear Submarine as the US Responds to Threats Around the Globe

Longreads

Life Aboard a Nuclear Submarine as the US Responds to Threats Around the Globe … War. Maybe, I thought, we were being cast in the sequel. Or maybe …

Europe finally seems to be considering a future without U.S. nuclear umbrella: Spiegel

Tehran Times

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, for example, the current deputy head of the Russian Security Council, has threatened a “big war” with NATO.

How Many Sentinel Missiles Does the United States Need? – War on the Rocks

War on the Rocks

… nuclear warheads today. While the Cold War is over, the continued presence of nuclear threats to the United States demands a response. The …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.