LEMONT, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 28, 2026--
Experts at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and other national laboratories are looking more closely at passive safety systems, which will be used prevalently in the next generation of nuclear power plants. Passive safety systems rely on natural processes, such as gravity and circulation, to cool or safely shut down reactors without active power sources or human intervention. Their novel technologies may also present a soft underside to insider threats and saboteurs. New reactor designs must be tested and approved before they are licensed for construction. This makes it important to know what would cause these systems to not work. What could bad guys do to make things break?
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A roundtable of researchers from national laboratories brainstormed bad acts that a saboteur might try. What if someone left open an access hatch that should be closed? Or deliberately plugged a pathway to prevent cooling fluid from going where it needed to go?
List in hand, they then looked closely at how likely and how impactful such acts would be.
As expected, they found that nuclear power plants are extremely safe by design. There is controlled access. Multiple alarms signal quickly when something isn’t in good operating condition, or an event poses a risk to the plant and its workers. Nuclear reactors with passive safety systems operate as they should even if they lose power or no operator is present. This means creating havoc is hard to do.
Hard, but not impossible.
The researchers took the most likely sabotage scenarios to Argonne’s Natural Convection Shutdown Heat Removal Test Facility (NSTF) and tried to do their worst. They left that hatch open. They blocked that cooling fluid’s path. They pressed the softest, weakest points to see where new designs might bruise.
The overarching goal was to identify risks, inform better design and inspire better planning. In this way, the researchers help the nuclear energy industry avoid small oversights that might turn into large hazards.
“By using redundancy, focusing on the most severe threats, and meeting strict design tests, we can make sure passive safety features are robust,” said Darius Lisowski, group manager of reactor safety testing and analysis at Argonne’s NSTF. “Design improvements will happen early, before the next generation of reactors goes into operation.”
This work was supported by the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration and the International Nuclear Security for Advanced Reactors (INSTAR) Program.
Good guy Darius Lisowski, Argonne’s group manager of reactor safety testing and analysis, takes time to play "bad guy" in order to thwart those who would interfere with safe nuclear reactor operations. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory.)
DALLAS (AP) — Julius Randle scored 31 points, Naz Reid added 23 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 118-105 on Wednesday night.
The Mavericks were without rookie No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who sat for left ankle injury management on the first night of a back-to-back. Flagg played the previous three games after an ankle sprain sidelined him for two games.
Klay Thompson sat with left knee soreness for Dallas, which is without 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis due to a hand injury. Star guard Kyrie Irving hasn't played all season after tearing an ACL last March.
Anthony Edwards scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who have won consecutive games since a five-game losing streak that is their longest of the season.
P.J. Washington Jr. scored all 21 of his points in the second half for the Mavericks. Naji Marshall had 18 points and Brandon Williams 17.
Randle was 12 of 21 from the field and made all seven of his free throws. He has scored at least 21 points in 11 of his past 12 games against his hometown team.
Dallas' Max Christie had a four-game streak of 20-point games stopped on a 1-of-8 shooting night, finishing with nine points. He was 7 of 8 on free throws, but his teammates were just 19 of 31 from the line as Dallas shot 67% (26 of 39).
The Mavericks, who trailed for all but 26 seconds, had trimmed a 16-point deficit to eight late in the third quarter when Reid made a 3-pointer to start a 12-3 run to finish the quarter.
The Dallas deficit was 10 in the fourth quarter when Reid hit a short jumper and another 3 for a 106-91 lead. Reid had eight rebounds and three steals.
Both teams finish a back-to-back at home Thursday. The Timberwolves play Oklahoma City. Dallas has Charlotte.
This story is corrected to say the Mavericks had cut their deficit to eight points late in the third quarter, not the fourth.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg stands by the bench in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) leaps to the basket for a shot after getting past Dallas Mavericks' Naji Marshall (13) and Caleb Martin, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Mavericks' Jaden Hardy (1) celebrates his three-pointer in front of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) drives to the basket as Dallas Mavericks' Max Christie (00) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Minnesota Timberwolves' Naz Reid (11) drives to the basket as Dallas Mavericks' Jaden Hardy, left, and Ryan Nembhard (9) defend in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) leaps to the basket for a shot after getting past Dallas Mavericks' Naji Marshall (13) and Caleb Martin, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
