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NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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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.
Steven T. Polkinghorne, Gregg L. Sharp, Richard T. McCracken
Nuclear Technology | Volume 145 | Number 1 | January 2004 | Pages 44-56
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3459
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is a 250-MW irradiation facility used to test reactor fuels and other materials, and also to produce radioisotopes. The ATR core is divided into five regions, or lobes, that normally operate at different power levels. To support future irradiation programs, it is desired that the maximum lobe power be increased 10% (from 60 to 66 MW). A modification to ATR's emergency core cooling system is proposed to ensure that adequate safety margins would be maintained during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). The modification being considered is the addition of an accumulator injection system. The RELAP5 thermal-hydraulic code and the SINDA thermal analyzer were used to simulate the two most challenging design-basis LOCAs identified in the ATR Safety Analysis Report. Calculations were performed both with and without accumulator injection. The results indicate that a 10% increase in maximum lobe power is achievable. Minimum thermal margins increased more than 40% when accumulator injection was simulated.