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Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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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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College students help develop waste-measuring device at Hanford
A partnership between Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) and Washington State University has resulted in the development of a device to measure radioactive and chemical tank waste at the Hanford Site. WRPS is the contractor at Hanford for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management.
R. C. Lloyd, E. D. Clayton, L. E. Hansen
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 48 | Number 3 | July 1972 | Pages 300-304
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE72-A22487
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experiments were performed to establish the effect of a soluble neutron absorber (gadolinium nitrate) on the criticality of plutonium nitrate solutions. The solutions contained plutonium at concentrations of ∼116 g Pu/liter and at ∼363 g Pu/liter. Measured quantities of gadolinium nitrate were mixed with these solutions to produce changes in critical solution height within a 24-in. -diam water-reflected cylinder. Gadolinium concentrations up to 20.25 g Gd/liter were used and the effect determined through the observed change in height. Monte Carlo calculations were used to compute the criticality factors (keff’s) for each of the measured critical configurations. The computed factors were below unity in each case (largest departure about 2% less than unity). The gadolinium proved to be an effective neutron absorber. Its effectiveness decreased significantly, however, in the higher plutonium concentration and faster neutron spectrum. Although comparable values of k∞ were computed (1.603 and 1.503) for the two plutonium concentrations in the experiments, the calculations show 2.4 g Gd/liter would be required to reduce k∞ to unity in the first case, whereas about 72 g Gd/liter would have been required in the second (316 g Pu/liter solution). Curves were prepared showing the computed quantities of gadolinium required to reduce k∞ to unity as a function of plutonium concentration. Also included are computed critical radii for infinitely long cylinders of plutonium nitrate solution for several different gadolinium concentrations. There was no evidence of chemical instability (or precipitation) of the gadolinium in the plutonium nitrate solution during the course of the experiments and over a 1-mo long test (a question of concern in using soluble poison for criticality control).