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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
Can hydrogen be the transportation fuel in an otherwise nuclear economy?
Let’s face it: The global economy should be powered primarily by nuclear power. And it probably will by the end of this century, with a still-significant assist from renewables and hydro. Once nuclear systems are dominant, the costs come down to where gas is now; and when carbon emissions are reduced to a small portion of their present state, it will become obvious that most other sources are only good in niche settings. I mean, why use small modular reactors to load-follow when they can just produce that power instead of buffering it?
Dawn E. Janney, Steven L. Hayes, Cynthia A. Adkins
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 1 | January 2020 | Pages 1-22
Critical Review | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1623617
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Although U-Pu-Zr alloys have been investigated for more than 60 years, relatively little experimental information is available, and many of the original values are in government reports that appeared more than 40 years ago. Information about the technologically important alloy U-20Pu-10Zr (weight percent) is even more limited. Since U-Pu-Zr alloys are difficult materials to study experimentally, it is therefore important to understand what results have already been obtained, how reliable they are, and where they were reported.
This critical review provides a summary and critical assessment of the available experimental measurements of thermal and mechanical properties of U-Pu-Zr alloys. Knowledge of these properties is crucial for understanding and modeling fuel constituent redistribution, fuel swelling and creep, fission gas release under normal reactor operations, and melting or formation of liquid phases under reactor transient scenarios.
This critical review builds on a previous review that assessed experimental data about phases and phase diagrams in U-Pu-Zr alloys. Both reviews are intended as resources for fuel designers and modelers and as guides for prioritizing future experimental work.