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With the help of interventional radiology, certain medical procedures can be carried out in a minimally invasive manner that would previously have required surgery. Specific examples of such procedures include narrowed coronary arteries, which can trigger coronary heart disease or even a heart attack, certain tumours, or strokes. As ionising radiation is generally used for imaging, the radiation exposure of the medical personnel involved has risen steadily over the years in line with the number of such procedures. In order to improve understanding of the distribution of radiation in the room and thus reduce radiation exposure, GRS scientists have produced a training video and a calculation tool as part of a research project funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment.
More than 30 pressurised water reactors of the Russian or Soviet VVER (water-water-energy reactor) type are currently in operation in Eastern and Central Europe, and several new plants are under construction. Mochovce-3, for example, started commercial operation in Slovakia in October 2023. Not least the war in Ukraine and the fact that the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (NPP) became the theatre of war have shown that technical knowledge about this type of plant is still needed in Germany too, e.g. to be able to assess any risks. Experts at GRS are therefore involved in numerous research projects on VVER reactors, including international ones.
Repository researchers use simulation software to draw a picture of the future of a repository system. How precise and realistic the forecast is depends largely on the input data used for the calculations. The Radi simulation code developed by GRS calculates the decay chains of the radioactive materials from the stored waste. It answers the question of how much 'radioactivity' is still present after a certain period of time and thus forms the basis for further simulations.
Mercury is toxic. Nevertheless, this heavy metal is used all over the world in a wide variety of products. In the EU, 40 tonnes of mercury are processed every year for the production of amalgam for dental fillings alone. The EU Commission now wants to further restrict its use. Scientists at GRS have supported them in these efforts and explored the possibilities.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) published a statement yesterday (4 December 2023) after the Guardian newspaper reported cyberattacks on the Sellafield nuclear facility on the same day.
Only three per cent of the water on our planet is fresh water; only a small proportion of this can be used as drinking water. Climate change is having an increasing impact on the security of our drinking water supply, and not just in arid regions. Forward-looking and sustainable management of drinking water resources is therefore important.
Geothermal power plants utilise the heat from the earth's interior to generate energy in the form of electricity and heat. This is possible at temperatures of as low as 100 degrees Celsius. GRS is investigating how geothermal power plants can be operated safely and reliably.