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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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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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Securing the advanced reactor fleet
Physical protection accounts for a significant portion of a nuclear power plant’s operational costs. As the U.S. moves toward smaller and safer advanced reactors, similar protection strategies could prove cost prohibitive. For tomorrow’s small modular reactors and microreactors, security costs must remain appropriate to the size of the reactor for economical operation.
Zhendong Liu, Raymond S. Dickson, Lawrence W. Dickson, Zoran Bilanovic, David S. Cox
Nuclear Technology | Volume 131 | Number 1 | July 2000 | Pages 22-35
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3102
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A direct-electric-heating (DEH) apparatus was developed to heat Zircaloy-sheathed irradiated fuel samples. The apparatus was used in the temperature gradient 1 (TG1) experiment to measure fission product releases from Zircaloy-sheathed irradiated Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) UO2 fuel samples during fast temperature ramps in the presence of a radial temperature gradient in the fuel. The ohmic heating of the UO2, combined with surface heat removal by the surrounding helium coolant flow, produced a radial temperature profile that approximates the profile for fission- or decay-heated fuel.The 11 tests conducted in the TG1 experiment simulated various transient heating rates and high-temperature annealing conditions. The results indicate that the DEH technique can produce large radial temperature gradients and rapid heating rates. Ceramographic examinations showed columnar grain growth and evidence of UO2 melting. Chemical interactions between the tungsten electrodes and the UO2 were also observed. Releases of krypton, and release and redistribution of cesium were measured. Fission product release and redistribution results from some of the tests are also reported.The Kr measurements indicated that the amount of Kr released was highly dependent upon the peak dwell power: The higher the dwell power, the higher the cumulative release. The redistribution of cesium was mapped using emission gamma radiography of the fuel specimen after the test. Cesium was released from the center of the fuel sample where temperatures were the highest. A well-defined area was confirmed near the center where the Cs activity was depleted. The measured Kr releases were in good agreement with the Cs migration and release.
