Research institutes announce collaboration
The US-based Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Japan's Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) have agreed to team up on research into nuclear materials and radiation issues.
Under a three-year agreement, the two organizations will jointly research nuclear power plant issues related to material science, plant component performance and radiation safety.
This will include the use of three-dimensional tools at the atomic level to improve understanding of the effects of neutron damage on reactor materials, as well as the development of new materials that are more resistant to radiation damage. In addition, EPRI and CRIEPI will jointly evaluate reactor vessel behaviour under abnormal and highly unusual circumstances, such as those experienced at the Fukushima Daiichi plant following the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. Further studies will assess the impact of low-dose radiation on public health and on nuclear power plant workers.
The collaborative work will facilitate the sharing of research and experimental results, data and scientific information that will "expand the knowledge base of critical plant infrastructure and radiation safety in and around nuclear power plants," EPRI said. "Its results are expected to provide the technical foundation to enhance the safe and efficient operation of nuclear plants worldwide."
EPRI is an independent, non-profit organization that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity. Its membership represents over 90% of the electricity generated and supplied in the USA. Also a non-profit organization, CRIEPI is primarily funded by eleven Japanese power utilities and conducts research in such areas as nuclear power technology, stable power supply technology and environmental energy technology.
Hayaichi Yokoyama, senior vice president of CRIEPI, said, "This collaboration will open the door to more extensive and substantial cooperation unifying the resources of the representative research institutes in the electrical power industries in the United States and Japan."
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
