Huddersfield prof's nuclear power world first bid

Feb 14 2009 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

NUCLEAR power stations could be switched on and off like a light bulb, a Huddersfield professor believes.

Prof Robert Cywinski is working on the extraordinary scientific goal which could also lead to major developments in the treatment of tumours and cancers.

If his research work is successful, it could lead to a new, safe, affordable and environmentally-beneficial form of energy.

The Professor of Applied Sciences at the Huddersfield University is embarking on a calculation and computer simulations with colleagues and physics experts that has the potential to be of global significance.

His research revolves around the use of accelerators and the fuel thorium, as opposed to plutonium or uranium.

Prof Cywinski said: “The core accelerators are seen as a tool so we are using that tool to make an accelerator in the right shape and size so it is effective for thing’s that they were never designed for in the first place.

“By the end of this year we will know whether it works, if it doesn’t we’ll know what to do to make it work then look at the next phase.

“In terms of having a fully working power station with this technology it could be 15 years – which isn’t that long considering it takes eight years to build a conventional power station.

“Medically speaking, it could be five or six years down the line until we have a working facility.”

Instead of uranium or plutonium, the team of scientists are working with thorium to fuel the accelerator.

This area of study is the way that sub-atomic particles, especially neutrons, can be used to probe deep inside materials in order to analyse their structure.