3 October, 2024. The conference “New nuclear projects in different European countries” organised by the Lithuanian Nuclear Energy Association (LBEA) took place in KTU Santaka Valley. The conference was attended by about 100 participants, including a large number of LEI scientists working in the field of nuclear energy and related areas.
The conference was opened by LBEA President Osvaldas Čiukšys. Welcoming remarks were made by Leonas Balaševičius, Director of the KTU Science Department, and Saulius Gudžius, Director of the Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI – conference partner).
The President of the European Nuclear Society, Stefano Monti, joined remotely to deliver a welcome address and a general presentation on the situation of the European nuclear sector.
Presentations on nuclear energy development programmes and ongoing or planned projects in their countries were given by representatives of European countries from Poland, France, Estonia, Hungary, Finland, Italy, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The agenda of the conference, as well as the conference proceedings, will be posted on the LBEA website (www.lbea.lt).
On October 4, LEI Director Saulius Gudžius and Lindain Engineering CEO Vytas Maciūnas signed a contract for the provision of engineering services.
The U.S.-based company Lindain Engineering has been specializing in the designand manufacturing of heat exchangers and their components for nearly twenty
years, specifically for solar and nuclear heat transfer systems. As part of this project, LEI will provide 3D modeling services for innovative heat exchangers to evaluate and substantiate the efficiency of a newly patented heat exchanger designed by Lindain Engineering.
On October 4th, the Head of the Laboratory for Nuclear Installations Safety at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Dr. Federico Rocchi, visited the Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI).
During the visit, the guest was introduced to the institute’s activities and ongoing projects (LEI and ENEA share tasks and/or are partners in several EU-funded projects). The discussion also covered potential collaborations in future joint projects. A detailed presentation was given on the nuclear energy field in Lithuania, including its historical context, current situation, and future plans. Dr. Rocchi also toured the Center for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Plasma Processing Laboratory, and the Laboratory of Combustion Processes.
The Lithuanian Energy Institute, as a member of the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO), invites you to explore EARTO’s policy recommendations on the importance of RDI (Research, Development, and Innovation) for Europe’s competitiveness and prosperity.
Learn all about EARTO’s recommendations for enhancing competitiveness: EARTO Policy Recommendations 2024-2029
EARTO brings together more than 350 of Europe’s leading non-university research institutes and centers from over 20 countries, focusing primarily on applied research and the development and advancement of technologies.
Congratulations to Inesa Knuipytė, a Junior research associate at the LEI Laboratory of Heat-Equipment Research and Testing, who successfully defended his PhD dissertation on 27 September 2024 on the topic of Effect of environmental factors on the efficiency of biological remediation of soil pollution with heavy metals (Technological Sciences, Environmental Engineering, T004).
Congratulations to Justas Šereika, a Junior research associate at the LEI Laboratory of Heat-Equipment Research and Testing, who successfully defended his PhD dissertation on 26 September 2024 on the topic of Investigation of the influence of active and passive control methods on the dynamics and structure of separated single-phase flow (Technological Sciences, Energetics and Power Engineering, T006).
September 16-20, the 68th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is taking place in Vienna, Austria, with a delegation from Lithuania also in attendance. Among them are 5 representatives from the Lithuanian Energy Institute: Prof. Dr. Saulius Gudžius, Dr. Sigitas Rimkevičius, Dr. Algirdas Kaliatka, Dr. Tadas Kaliatka, and Dr. Egidijus Urbonavičius.
More about the conference: https://www.iaea.org/about/governance/general-conference
On 4 September, the LEI project “Testing an R&D idea – Numerical study of thermohydraulic processes in Small Modular Reactors (No. 10-038-T-0127)” was launched.
Objective of the project Testing an R&D idea – Numerical study of thermohydraulic processes in Small Modular Reactors (No. 10-038-T-0127) is to prepare and application proposal for the EURATOM programe calls for proposals in the framework of an interdisciplinary project.
This project is a preparatory work for the acquisition of the necessary knowledge for the preparation of the interdisciplinary project application in the framework of the HORIZON-EURATOM programme “Safety of light water small modular reactors (LW-SMRs)”. The objective of the project is to prepare a model of a European light water small modular reactor for the ASTEC software package, which will be used for the study of both the reactor and the containment processes. In order to prepare for an international application, the project will optimise the performance of the model, investigate the limits of the model’s applicability, simulate selected accidents and prepare for the simulation of various other accident scenarios.
The project is implemented under the Development Programme Manager of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania for the period 2021-2030, under the Development Programme Progress Measure No 12-001-01-02-01 “Strengthening innovation ecosystems in science centres” activity “Support for identified R&D start-up projects and feasibility studies with institutional roadmaps for successful participation in the calls of the European Union’s research and innovation programme “European Horizon””.
Funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU.
More information: https://www.lei.lt/en/projektas/cpva-10-038-t-0127/
On September 16, 2024, in Vienna, Austria, Prof. Dr. Saulius Gudžius, Director of the Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI), and Dr. K. Michael Goff, Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), signed a Statement of Intent to strengthen scientific research and development in the field of civil nuclear energy. The signing was also attended by Vice-Minister of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania Albinas Zananavičius and Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy David M. Turk. This agreement opens opportunities for collaboration in areas such as advanced small modular reactor technologies, safety analysis, waste management solutions, and more.
The Statement outlines plans for the exchange of best practices, transfer of scientific knowledge, and commercialization of technologies, as well as the organization of joint seminars and training sessions. It is expected that this collaboration will not only enhance the capabilities of the Lithuanian energy sector but also promote innovation and the development of advanced nuclear energy solutions.
By signing this document, the commitment is made to work together towards the development of a cleaner and safer energy system, contributing to sustainable development and climate change mitigation.
On 29 August, the LEI project “Testing an R&D idea – assessment of fractures in high pressure equipment (No. 10-038-T-0113)” was launched.
In the course of this project, preparations are being carried out to support the preparation of the application and the knowledge necessary for the preparation of the application in accordance with the HORIZON-EURATOM forthcoming call: “Safety of operating nuclear power plants and research reactors”.
It is planned to develop and verify numerical evaluation methods that allow for more reliable high-power pipeline rupture analysis. The new experiments planned by the project partners will be used to validate the calculation methods and will provide the necessary information about the behavior of the cracks in the high-power pipeline, including reaction forces, loads and thermo-hydraulic response to other components. In addition, these studies will increase the knowledge of the loads on pipelines and related components such as pipeline supports. Improved assessment procedures will allow proper assessment of damage resistance and determination of safety margins.
The project is implemented under the Development Programme Manager of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania for the period 2021-2030, under the Development Programme Progress Measure No 12-001-01-02-01 “Strengthening innovation ecosystems in science centres” activity “Support for identified R&D start-up projects and feasibility studies with institutional roadmaps for successful participation in the calls of the European Union’s research and innovation programme “European Horizon””.
Funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU.
More information: https://www.lei.lt/en/projektas/cpva-10-038-t-0113/