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Division Spotlight
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.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Standards Program
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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Latest News
DOE issues RFQ for clean-energy projects at WIPP
The Department of Energy has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for interested parties that are looking to establish carbon pollution–free electricity (CFE) projects at its Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in New Mexico.
Harn Chyi Lim, Karin Rudman, Kapil Krishnan, Robert McDonald, Patricia Dickerson, Darrin Byler, Pedro Peralta, Chris Stanek, Kenneth McClellan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 182 | Number 2 | May 2013 | Pages 155-163
Technical Paper | Special Issue on the Symposium on Radiation Effects in Ceramic Oxide and Novel LWR Fuels / Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-A16427
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Transport of fission products (FPs) inside fuel pellets is an important mechanism that affects microstructure evolution as well as fuel performance. To study this phenomenon for low fuel burnups, when solid-state diffusion is likely to be the controlling mechanism that sets the stage for subsequent phenomena, e.g., fission gas bubble formation and linkage, we created a three-dimensional (3-D) finite element model based on the real microstructure of a depleted UO2 sample. The model couples grain bulk, grain boundary (GB), and triple junction (TJ) diffusion by using 3-D elements for grain bulks, two-dimensional elements for GBs, and one-dimensional elements for TJs. Grain boundary percolation theory is applied in one case study, and the result shows that the presence of high-diffusivity TJs reduces the effect of GB percolation. The model is also used with mass generation from grain bulks, and it is found that localized regions with a high concentration of FPs can form in the presence of a dominant GB percolation path. The work introduces an approach to model diffusion through GBs and TJs at a fair computational cost that can be applied to study the effects of microstructure on FP transport.