Thor Energy will strengthen its collaboration with Cambridge University by joining the Nuclear Industry Club and supporting a PhD candidate.

The UK has been one of the most important nuclear countries worldwide and will continue to be so in the future with its decision to build a new fleet of nuclear plants over the next decade. Addressing the nuclear legacy issue in combination with the need for electricity is both a challenge and an opportunity.

Thor Energy has collaborated with the University of Cambridge for some years and is very happy to announce that we have now signed an agreement with Cambridge University making it the industrial funding-partner for a 3-year PhD project aiming to investigate the use of thorium-fuelled LWRs to manage UK’s plutonium stockpile. The UK possesses a stockpile of 110 tonnes separated plutonium. The currently favoured management strategy is to use the plutonium in uranium-plutonium (U-Pu) mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. Use of thorium-plutonium (Th-Pu) MOX may lead to advantages in both fuel performance and fuel cycle. The cost and value of future fuel cycle options utilising Th-MOX relative to once-through and U-MOX strategies will be evaluated.

The project will be carried out by PhD condidate Sophie Morrison and is supervised by Dr. Geoff Parks.

The University of Cambridge is recognising the nation’s need for expertise in the nuclear field in the years to come by offering the MPhil in Nuclear Energy. Here the students have the opportunity to study various aspects of the nuclear industry, from the reactor and fuel perspective to the management and business side. As a fuel technology company, Thor Energy is proud of being amongst the financial supporters to this MPhil course and is looking forward to a long and fruitful cooperation with both the University and its students in the years to come.

Contact:
Dr Cheuk Lau, cheuk.lau@thorenergy.no
Tel: +4748072140