Biography
Dr. Senem Şentürk Lüle holds Nuclear Engineering BS, 2 MS, and PhD degrees. She started her carrier at Hacettepe University as research/teaching assistant. After working in United Kiddom as radiation shielding specialist, in 2006, she was recruited by Turkish Atomic Energy Authority as nuclear engineer. After 10 years of design and analysis of nuclear reactors, she moved to International Atomic Energy Agency as Safeguards Inspector. Since 2016, she is working at Istanbul Technical University Energy Institute.
Her research interests are nuclear reactor design, Monte Carlo method, neutronic and thermal-hydraulics calculations, computational fluid dynamics, nuclear safeguards, security, and safety, and medical and industrial applications of radiation. She graduated MS and PhD students, completed several projects, and published many articles in 10 years as academician.
She is a board member of Women in Nuclear Türkiye NGO since 2019. She is the current president of Turkish Nuclear Engineers Association.
Presentation
Nuclear energy has been a strong ally to industrial development and fight against global warming since 1950s. It has been considered as base load carbon free electricity generator however the demand for energy shifted solely form electricity to electricity/high-temperature process heat especially for energy-intensive industries such as steel, cement, chemicals, refining, and hydrogen production. Current light water reactor fleet is not capable of meeting this new demand. Generation IV reactors offer a promising solution with their high outlet temperatures.
Recently, small modular reactor (SMR) technology which comes forth with modularity, factory fabrication, short construction time, and advanced safety feature attributions have accelerated worldwide especially for industrial application coupling. Their modular design enables deployment in remote locations and industrial clusters where secure, low-carbon energy supply is critical. Furthermore, SMRs can operate as part of hybrid energy systems, working alongside renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. The SMRs having Gen-IV design are especially important for decarbonization of energy-intensive industries.