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Conference Spotlight
2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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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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Fusion Science and Technology
October 2025
Latest News
Dry Ice Blasting: A Game-Changer for Safe Cleaning and Decontamination in Nuclear Power Plants
The nuclear energy industry is critical not only for meeting the world’s growing demand for electricity but also for advancing global decarbonization goals. As the sector evolves—through life extensions of existing plants, decommissioning, innovations like small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors, and new facility construction—the need for safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible maintenance and decommissioning continues to grow. Whether a plant is coming online, operating beyond its original design life, or entering decommissioning, cleanliness and operational integrity remain non-negotiable. That’s where dry ice blasting stands out—a powerful, safe cleaning method ideally suited for the high-stakes demands of nuclear environments.
Dale Hitchcock, Tim Krentz, Jay Gaillard, Steve Serkiz, Mark Kranjc, Brent Peters, Josef Velten, Timothy DeVol
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 76 | Number 7 | October 2020 | Pages 861-868
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2020.1817704
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
By incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanomaterials with aromatic sp2 carbon structures, we have specifically tuned filled ethylene propylene diene monomer elastomer (EPDM) seal and gasket composite materials for radiation resistance. Our results show that CNTs and graphene have an increased ability to stabilize the EPDM matrix compared to standard carbon black (CB) as a radiation-resistant filler. Graphene outperforms both CNT and CB fillers when considering surface damage under conditions where beta exposure is an issue. Both graphene and CNT fillers offer significantly reduced changes in glass transition temperature under prolonged exposure to tritium compared to CB-filled standards, with a 2.5-fold and almost 5-fold reduction, respectively. Thus, CNT- and graphene-filled O-ring materials could be designed that would maintain acceptable seals significantly longer than currently used composites.