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Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Can hydrogen be the transportation fuel in an otherwise nuclear economy?
Let’s face it: The global economy should be powered primarily by nuclear power. And it probably will by the end of this century, with a still-significant assist from renewables and hydro. Once nuclear systems are dominant, the costs come down to where gas is now; and when carbon emissions are reduced to a small portion of their present state, it will become obvious that most other sources are only good in niche settings. I mean, why use small modular reactors to load-follow when they can just produce that power instead of buffering it?
D. Henderson, L. El-Guebaly, P. Wilson, A. Abdou, ARIES Team
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 39 | Number 2 | March 2001 | Pages 444-448
Advanced Designs | doi.org/10.13182/FST01-A11963276
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Detailed activation, decay heat and waste disposal calculations of the ARIES-AT design are performed to evaluate the safety aspects of the device. The high initial activity of the SiC highly irradiated components translates directly into a higher initial decay heat for these structures than for the well-protected steel-based components. However, after a one-hour cool-down period, the SiC decay heat drops by two decades to levels comparable to the steel-based components. The decay heat of the LiPb coolant was found to exceed that of the SiC components for several days after shutdown. This implies that a loss of flow accident (LOFA) event is more critical than a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) event for LiPb/SiC systems. Regarding waste disposal, all structures can easily meet the Class C Low-Level Waste (LLW) requirements established for the ARIES power plants. Many components could qualify as Class A LLW after a 100-year storage period after selection of low activation materials and control of the Nb and Mo impurities in ferritic steel. A purification system will be required to remove the 210Po and 203Hg generated by Pb during operation.