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Division Spotlight
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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 final RFQ for WIPP clean energy initiative
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has issued a request for qualifications for interested parties and prospective offerors looking to enter into a realty agreement for carbon-pollution-free electricity (CFE) projects at the department’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in southeastern New Mexico.
Allen G. Croff, Steven L. Krahn
Nuclear Technology | Volume 194 | Number 2 | May 2016 | Pages 271-280
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT15-46
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper compares the radiotoxicity of thorium-based and uranium-based spent nuclear fuels and reprocessing wastes to inform evaluation of whether thorium-based fuels are significantly less radiotoxic than uranium-based fuels, as has been claimed at times in the technical literature. A consistent approach for calculating the radiotoxicity is established for four oxide fuel types in a pressurized water reactor: low-enrichment uranium, uranium with plutonium fissile material, thorium with 233U fissile material, and thorium with plutonium fissile material. The results of the calculations are presented to display the radiotoxicity trends and are analyzed to determine (a) what underlies the indicated radiotoxicity trends for decay times from 1 year to 20 million years and (b) factors that may have led to erroneous conclusions concerning the comparative radiotoxicity of thorium- and uranium-based fuels. The overall conclusion is that the ingestion radiotoxicity of thorium-based fuels containing 233U or plutonium fissile materials is similar to the radiotoxicity of uranium-based fuels containing 235U or plutonium fissile materials but that within this overall similarity there are significant differences in radiotoxicity in specific eras during decay.