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The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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Latest News
Commercial nuclear innovation "new space" age
In early 2006, a start-up company launched a small rocket from a tiny island in the Pacific. It exploded, showering the island with debris. A year later, a second launch attempt sent a rocket to space but failed to make orbit, burning up in the atmosphere. Another year brought a third attempt—and a third failure. The following month, in September 2008, the company used the last of its funds to launch a fourth rocket. It reached orbit, making history as the first privately funded liquid-fueled rocket to do so.
W. E. Parkins
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 12 | Number 1 | January 1962 | Pages 91-105
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE62-A25376
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Analysis of observations on surface film formation has indicated a single process to be primarily responsible. This process involves transport of particles present in the coolant to the surface, and attachment there through the establishment of chemical bonds. Brownian motion is the principal mechanism bringing partiales into contact with the surface, but many factors can be important in determining whether a given encounter will lead to permanent attachment of a particle. One of these factors, frequently present in reactor cores, is a surface electrostatic force caused by the flow of electrical currents. These currents are primarily the result of beta electron and photoelectron emission. Details of the various electrical parameters are analyzed for situations encountered in heterogeneous and homogeneous reactors. It is shown that the surface electrostatic force is critically dependent on the current density crossing the coolant-film interface, and on the electric resistivity of the surface of the film in contact with the coolant. Recommendations are made for means to prevent the formation of objectionable surface films. Attention is directed to the fact that the homogeneous slurry type of reactor combines conditions which can lead to the deposition of fuel bearing films on in-core surfaces.