NUCLEAR 2011
The 4th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development
through Nuclear Research and Education (Pitesti, Romania)
From 25 - 27 May, the Institute for Nuclear Research
(INR) in Pitesti, hosted the 4th edition of NUCLEAR 2011,
an international conference that brings together nuclear researchers,
academics experts, nuclear industry specialists and policy-makers.
This latest edition of the conference has coincided with the 40th
anniversary of INR - a national support organisation, heavily
involved in the sustainable development of nuclear energy in Romania.
The conference was organised under the auspices
of the Romanian Academy and benefited from the non-financial co-sponsorship
of the Canadian Nuclear Society.
Organised over three days, NUCLEAR 2011
featured plenary sessions, parallel oral sessions, poster sessions
and a round table dedicated to the subject of refractory alloys
for Generation IV reactors.
During plenary sessions, guest speakers from
the European Commission, CEA (France), PURAM (Hungary), SCK•CEN
Belgium, ENEA (Italy), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT),
Germany, AECL Canada, the University of Pitesti, EnergoNuclear
Romania and INR Pitesti provided insight in the following areas:
INR’s important achievements and expectations, Euratom’s
fission and fusion programmes, energy policies in Europe and its
Member States, European Technological Platforms and their role
in framing nuclear research, the nuclear industry’s expectations
and demands with regards to research, minor actinide transmutation,
materials for advanced nuclear systems, the development of research
infrastructures for Generation IV reactors, the impact of Fukushima
on severe accident management; progress with the Cernavoda Units
3 and 4 project and nuclear knowledge aspects in research and
education.
Participants from ENEA Italy, Al-Jouf University
Saudi Arabia, the University of Manchester in the UK, Nuclear
Technology Consultancy UK, INCT Poland, CEA France, SERW Bulgaria,
KIT Germany, the University of Jijel Algeria, Cernavoda NPP, Canberra
Packard, National R&D Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering
Horia Hulubei (IFIN-HH) Bucharest, the University of Pitesti,
the National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN)
in Romania, Nuclear Montaj Romania, the National R&D Institute
of Cryogenics and Isotopes Technologies (ICSI), Valcea, CITON
Romania, the Polytechnic University of Timisoara, Babes-Bolyai
University in Cluj and the INR Pitesti each presented original
scientific contributions in oral and poster sessions. They principally
focused on the three main topics: nuclear energy, environmental
protection and sustainable development.
The best three papers presented by young researchers,
aged less than 35 years old, received awards. The Scientific Committee’s
awards selection was based on papers’ originality, creativity,
degree of novelty and the quality of their presentation. The most
original and valuable papers presented to NUCLEAR 2011
will be proposed for publication in the Journal of Nuclear Research
and Development, a new scientific publication edited by INR Pitesti
and dedicated to current developments in nuclear energy.
NUCLEAR 2011 was a great success. One
of the main conclusions was that in spite of the recent Fukushima
accident - with all its on-going implications - nuclear power
still remains the main provider of constant base-load of electricity
and a valuable component in the energy mix for many countries.
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