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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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Deep Space: The new frontier of radiation controls
In commercial nuclear power, there has always been a deliberate tension between the regulator and the utility owner. The regulator fundamentally exists to protect the worker, and the utility, to make a profit. It is a win-win balance.
From the U.S. nuclear industry has emerged a brilliantly successful occupational nuclear safety record—largely the result of an ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) process that has driven exposure rates down to what only a decade ago would have been considered unthinkable. In the U.S. nuclear industry, the system has accomplished an excellent, nearly seamless process that succeeds to the benefit of both employee and utility owner.
Yoon Sub Sim
Nuclear Technology | Volume 161 | Number 3 | March 2008 | Pages 299-314
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3928
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Decay heat removal in a nuclear plant is very important, and the performance of a decay heat removal system in a plant is a critical factor for the plant safety. In designing the decay heat removal system, a passive-type system is usually more difficult than an active-type system, and there can be additional restrictions in designing plant systems for passive decay heat removal to secure a sufficient natural-circulation head. If one can devise a decay heat exchanger that can enhance buildup of the natural-circulation head during an accident, the restrictions on designing the systems related to the decay heat removal can be relaxed and a better plant design can be attained. To meet this necessity, a design concept of an improved decay heat removal heat exchanger, IDINHX, was devised for a pool-type liquid-metal reactor (LMR). Its performance was evaluated, and the physics related to the core cooling in a pool-type LMR was investigated. During an accident, the core exit temperature usually peaks twice. The first peaking reflects the early-phase cooling capacity of a system, and the second peaking reflects the late-phase or long-term cooling capacity. The physics of the first peaking are more complex than that of the second peaking and, consequently, designing against the first peaking is more difficult. Based on the investigation results, ways to control the first peaking are suggested.