Highlights 2022 - Innovative nuclear systems
What will future nuclear systems look like? In 2022, SCK CEN further explored the technologies that could lead Belgium towards sustainable nuclear energy. We oriented ourselves around lead-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs), among others. Along the way, the unprecedented research possibilities of the new ISOL@MYRRHA facility are helping us approach our destination step by step.
Progressing towards the first lead-cooled SMR demonstration model
Small modular reactors (SMRs) of the future
SCK CEN is preparing the way for the commercialisation of small modular reactors with fast neutrons and lead as coolant. These SMRs have the potential to become an indispensable part of a sustainable Belgian energy system. SCK CEN wants to build a demonstration model by 2035 in cooperation with its international partners, in preparation for a commercial roll-out.
'European enthusiasm and input as a compass'
ISOL@MYRRHA expands research community
What does the user community expect of ISOL@MYRRHA, the facility that will be able to produce radioisotopes from 2027? This was the question SCK CEN posed to 180 experts (potential future users) of the ISOL facility during a workshop. ‘Research is often prepared well in advance, so we can take researchers' needs into account at an early stage in the project,’ it was said. A publication by the Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NuPECC) also revealed how the facility is making a name for itself in the international research landscape.
The tools of a 'pioneer'
To mark out the path of the future and pave the way to 2040, we need the right tools. This is why we make targeted investments in:
