The loading of spherical fuel elements has begun at China’s Shidaowan HTR-PM – a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) demonstration project. The unit is scheduled to begin operating later this year. The first of the graphite spheres was loaded within the reactor’s core on 5 April, China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Company Limited (CNI23) announced today. …
For more than two years, Ukraine has been outgunned battling Russian-backed rebels and Russian soldiers in Crimea. Given that peace agreements have failed to end the conflict and Russia consistently lies about not helping rebels fight Ukrainian forces, should America give lethal weapons—specifically Javelin anti-tank missiles—to Kyiv? If Russia steamrolls Ukraine, there is nothing in …
Several energy analysts who are pro-solar and wind believe that they will dominate global energy and not face limitations based upon grid issues and other factors The pro-solar case is based upon massive scaling of lower cost solar and low cost batteries. In the USA, the residential solar market is starting to slow down after …
The Google Lunar XPrize challenges privately funded teams to be the first to land on the moon, travel 500 meters, and send back pictures, for a $20 million jackpot. Although science was never the primary driver for the prize, the organizers encourage it through a number of bonus prizes. But some of the teams in …
Deep learning has continued to drive the computing industry’s agenda in 2016. But come 2017, experts say the Artificial Intelligence community will intensify its demand for higher performance and more power efficient “inference” engines for deep neural networks. The current deep learning system leverages advances in large computation power to define network, big data sets …
dditive manufacturing (AM) is a high-priority technology growth area for U.S. manufacturers. Innovative AM processes that fabricate parts layer-by-layer directly from a 3-D digital model have great potential for producing high-value, complex, individually customized parts. Companies are beginning to use AM as a tool for reducing time to market, improving product quality, and reducing the …
ThorCon Is a block constructed, passively safe, molten-salt, nuclear fission power plant It is passively safe and has multiple layers of passive safety. The design is modular and lowcost. 500MW units can be factory built and shipped to the site where it will be installed The calculations show that the system will be cheaper than …
Several studies have demonstrated that carefully selected measures to prevent the release of microscopic BC particulate products arising from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass can reduce near-term warming and improve human health. BC is not the only substance emitted from incomplete combustion, and the climate impacts depend on the full range of …
The Boom Suepersonic XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator is their first step toward routine supersonic flight. “Baby Boom,” as we like to call her, is the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet and the fastest civil aircraft ever made. XB-1 will flight prove the key technologies for practical supersonic flight. They will unveil the XB-1 design on …
The DARPA Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES) is being built by prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works with Piasecki Aircraft under a $77 million DARPA contract. Lockheed is providing the software, Piasecki the hardware. The hardware is a 41-foot span, unmanned flying wing in a tiltrotor configuration. Two ducted proprotors about eight feet in …
Israel and Japan are likely to get their first F-35 Joint Strike Fighters on schedule, and the Air Force‘s operational F-35s should be flying by the end of this year without faulty insulation in fuel pipes that could damage the aircraft, the F-35 Joint Program Office says. “Rapid progress is being made in fixing 15 …