In this episode we discuss...

• Bob’s personal journey in the nuclear industry
• Bob’s work in Nuclear Fuel Commercial Operations at Framatome
• Different types of nuclear fuel design
• Switching out fuel type as a means of reducing enrichment
• Ways in which fuel is designed for the commercial sector
• Processes and procedures within a full-scale fuel fabrication facility
• Who are the commercial sector buyers of nuclear fuel?
• What types of new fuels are currently being developed and what needs prompted their conception?
• What do typical nuclear fuel contracts look like and how do they differ from other industries?
• Influence of cladding and temperature on the MHz limit
• A deep dive into the process behind getting new fuel approved

In this episode we discuss...

• Kam’s background in engineering and his personal journey in the nuclear industry
• A behind the scenes look at how Kam started X-Energy
• Kam’s work at X-Energy developing Generation IV high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor and fuel designs
• Nuclear challenges and how Kam works to overcome them with methods including fixed cost and fixed timeline
• Flaws with the application system and its steep cost for nuclear companies
• Kam’s vision for the nuclear deployment schedule
• The environmental and human benefits of nuclear energy including supplying clean water through desalination and other treatment

In this episode we discuss...

• Ron’s background growing up in Israel and entering the nuclear field via the study of medicine
• Ron’s work as Director of Business Development at General Atomic
• IAEA demonstration of desalination process at Kazakhstan plant
• Different techniques for desalination
• Armenian nuclear history and safety concerns
• Role of technical advisors and detailees across National Security Council and U.S. government committees.
• Nuclear waste management and disposal
• VSMRs / Micro Reactors and other niche nuclear products and solutions
• Impact of silicone carbide for cladding
• A deep dive into the EMC2 project
• Innovation projects within General Atomics
• General Atomic’s contributions as a government defense contractor

In this episode we discuss...

• Joyce’s unique journey from study of poetry to international relations to the nuclear field
• Joyce’s international experiences in the Peace Corps in Turkmenistan and later experiences in Kazakhstan in post Cold War era
• The history of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
• The shutdown of the BN-350 fast breeder reactor in Kazakhstan
• Joyce’s involvement in the 123 Agreements under the Bush administration
• Joyce’s work as a detailee to the National Security Advisor
• A deep dive into the IAEA’s Additional Protocol Agreement
• The international impact of Fukushima
• Joyce’s experience serving as the first Director of Nuclear Energy Policy within the Office of International Economics
• Joyce’s appointment as Chairman on the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
• A look at the future of nuclear and the importance of improving public awareness

In this episode we discuss...

• Umair’s background in journalism and biochemistry and his personal journey in the nuclear space
• How Umair came to work for Vox and the reporting he does there on topics including climate and energy
• A deep dive into Vox and its mission to provide explanatory journalism
• The politics of nuclear energy
• Nuclear experts Umair interviews and how he navigates their bias and vested interests
• Improving climate change’s presence in the media and thus public perception
• Umair’s mission to broaden the general public’s knowledge on nuclear and its opportunities

In this episode we discuss...

• Paul’s background in human rights and environmental activism and his personal journey in the nuclear industry
• The Peaceful Atoms and how it sparked Paul’s concerns surrounding nuclear technology
• The advent of renewables including wind and solar and how the sector has evolved
• Paul’s worries regarding the connection between uranium enrichment and weapons
• The practicality of molten salt reactors
• Flaws Paul sees in nuclear’s waste management cycle
• The dangers of spent fuel on human health including the carcinogenic effects of radiation
• Three Mile Island and the conflicting studies surrounding its consequences on human health
• Bret and Paul discuss whether or not nuclear poses the fewest risks to the environment and human health compared to other energy sources

In this episode we discuss...

• Bob’s background in mechanical engineering and his personal journey in the nuclear industry
• The history of MPR and Bob’s role as Principal Officer
• MPR’s work with power plants across the US and its critical role in US nuclear
• Solutions for intergranular stress corrosion cracking in boiling water reactors
• How Bob copes with the stress that comes with working in nuclear
• The American Nuclear Society and Bob’s mission to increase its ranks as well as interest in younger generations
• Why Bob believes nuclear is the most sustainable energy source and what it’s going to take to make it cost efficient and deployable across the world

In this episode we discuss...

• Jeff’s background in environmental law and his personal journey in the nuclear industry
• Challenges Jeff worked to overcome at the NRC including the issue of nuclear safety culture
• Jeff’s work in business development for the Shaw Group
• Advanced reactor technology including the molten salt reactor
• Jeff’s work as an outside advisor to several groups including X-Energy which developed the Pebble-Bed High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor
• The benefits of competition within the global nuclear industry
• Why it’s crucial that the nuclear industry improve its communications strategies and thus public perception of the industry

In this episode we discuss...

• Andrew’s personal journey in the nuclear industry
• Andrew’s book After Fukushima
• How nuclear’s adaptation or lack thereof has shaped our physical, social, and environmental history
• How Chernobyl and Fukushima shifted nuclear public relations
• How different countries view purchasing reactors versus homebuilt reactors
• Why nuclear is ultimately safer than every other energy source particularly coal
• The economics of nuclear waste and repositories including Yucca Mountain
• The Linear No-Threshold Theory of Radiation
• Why Andrew supports 1990s reactor designs over new designs

In this episode we discuss...

• Margaret’s background in nuclear engineering and her personal journey in the nuclear industry
• Margaret’s work with boiling water reactors at GE
• The processes within phase changes in nuclear reactors
• The physics of bubbles in boiling water reactors and how it allows greater fuel production, lower enrichment, and reduced cost
• Tritium and the fears associated with it
• International considerations surrounding fuel and a history of the global nuclear sector
• How nuclear designs vary across the world - especially in the US, Europe, and Korea
• The benefits of government involvement in nuclear
• US regulations including the IAEA’s three phases necessary to build a nuclear power plant
• The pitfalls of natural gas and other renewables and how they impede the nuclear industry
• Nuclear’s environmental benefits surrounding climate change and why it’s important that the US work to set a precedent for the entire world