Next Meeting
Small Modular Reactors – an Option for Australia?
Tony Irwin, Chairman, Engineers Australia Nuclear Engineering Panel
Hosted by Nuclear Engineering Panel
5.30 pm for 6 pm Wednesday 22 May 2013
Engineers Australia Harricks Auditorium,
Ground Floor,
8 Thomas St, Chatswood
Please register online for catering purposes at this
link
Abstract
Nuclear power is a proven option for baseload electricity generation with low emissions of carbon
dioxide, but most reactor vendors worldwide currently offer power reactors which are too large for
the Australian grid system. A market is emerging worldwide for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs),
with unit sizes from 25 to 200 MWe, for supplying power in remote locations or to small electricity
grids. Several water-cooled SMR designs have now progressed beyond the conceptual stage to
detailed design and licence application. In the longer term, there are exciting developments in hand
for small modular fast reactors.
This presentation will review the status of SMRs worldwide and identify the opp
About Tony Irwin
Tony Irwin has a degree in electrical power engineering and worked for British Energy (formerly the
Central Electricity Generating Board) in the UK for more than thirty years, commissioning and
operating eight nuclear power plants.
Following the Chernobyl accident, he worked with Russian reactor operations engineers to improve
their safety culture and was a member of a team that reviewed operating practices at Russian
reactors.
In 1999, he moved permanently to Australia and joined the Australian Nuclear Science and
Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Department of Government and Public Affairs, where he
managed fuel strategies and represented Australia at international meetings. When the project to
replace ANSTO’s old HIFAR reactor was approved, he was appointed as Reactor Manager for the
commissioning and operation of the new OPAL research reactor.
Since retiring from ANSTO in late 2009, Tony has been a visiting lecturer for the Master of Nuclear
Science course at the ANU. He is chairman of Engineers Australia’s Nuclear Engineering Panel and
Technical Director of SMR Nuclear Technology Pty Ltd..
ATSE Conference: Nuclear Energy for Australia?
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) is holding a Conference on "Nuclear Energy for Australia?" in the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney on 25-26 July 2013. This two-day conference will cover the key technological, economic, social and environmental issues relating to the use of nuclear power in Australia. ANA is co-badging this Conference. See the ATSE Nuclear Energy Conference for further information and registration.
ANA2013 Conference Friday, 11th October 2013
The 10th biennial Australian Nuclear Association Conference on Nuclear Science and Engineering in Australia (ANA2013) will be held on Friday, 11th October 2013, in the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, 280 Pitt St, Sydney.
The theme of the conference is Nuclear Science and Technology in Action. This is a great opportunity to hear what is happening and to discuss nuclear science and technology developments in Australia and around the world
- Exciting science, medicine and innovative advances using nuclear techniques
- Updates on uranium mining in Australia and nuclear power developments
- Neutrons from OPAL research reactor and x-rays from Australian Synchrotron
- Achievements in nuclear science, engineering and technology
Please register by completing the registration form and submitting using one of the methods listed on the form. You are encouraged to distribute the conference flyer.
Dr Dennis Mather received ANA Award for 2012
The ANA 2012 Award was presented to Dr
Dennis Mather on Friday 7 December by ANA President Dr
Therese Donlevy at the ANA Annual Lunch at the Sutherland
United Services Club, Sutherland NSW. The 2012 Australian Nuclear
Association Annual Award recognises Dr Dennis Mather's outstanding contribution to nuclear science and
technology in Australia during his 14 years executive
leadership of AINSE.
Dr Dennis Mather has
been a leader in nuclear science and technology in
Australia as Scientific Secretary of Australian Institute
of Nuclear Science and Engineering Inc and then from 2009
as Managing Director of AINSE Ltd.
Dr Mather gained a PhD in chemistry from the University of
NSW in 1974. He was a science teacher in NSW high schools
before being appointed to the NSW Education Department
Statutory Board Directorate. From 1989 to 1998, he worked
in the chemical manufacturing industry. In 1998, Dr Mather
was appointed Scientific Secretary to the Australian
Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering Inc (AINSE)
with executive responsibility for AINSE activities and
staff. When AINSE reincorporated as a new company AINSE Ltd
in 2009, Dr Mather became its Managing Director.
During his 14 years with AINSE, the quality and quantity of
publications of supported research continuously improved,
the membership of AINSE increased by facilitating
membership of NZ universities and other research
organisations and revenue increased ahead of CPI. An AINSE
Trust was established in 2008 to provide scholarships and
fellowships for Australian students and researchers who are
participating in AINSE programs. These 14 years were a
period of enormous change for nuclear science in Australia,
with the start of the OPAL reactor and the associated
scientific instruments. AINSE and Dr Mather played a
significant role in the selection of the instruments which
are now producing world class science.
ANA Submission to NSW Inquiry
The ANA made a submission to the NSW Public
Works Committee Inquiry into the Economics of Energy
Generation in NSW. The Committee is examining the current
mix of energy sources used in NSW, makes comparison with
other jurisdictions, and the possibility of sourcing energy
interstate. The Inquiry is also examining the potential
for, and barriers to, alternative forms of energy. The
ANA
submission makes the case that nuclear power is a
proven, economic and mature technology for the generation
of baseload electricity with minimal emission of greenhouse
gases and strongly recommends that nuclear power be
included as a viable option in plans for NSW's energy
future.
The final
report of the Legislative Assembly Public Accounts
Committee Inquiry (tabled on 21 Nov 2012) quotes from the
ANA submission in its discussion of the nuclear
option.
