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Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
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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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Proving DRACO will deliver
The United States is now closer than it has been in over five decades to launching the first nuclear thermal rocket into space, thanks to DRACO—the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Orbit.
Zoltán Hózer, Péter Windberg, Imre Nagy, László Maróti, Lajos Matus, Márta Horváth, Anna Pintér Csordás, Márton Balaskó, Aladár Czitrovszky, Péter Jani
Nuclear Technology | Volume 141 | Number 3 | March 2003 | Pages 244-256
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT03-A3365
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the late phase of a severe reactor accident, the molten corium interacts with the vessel wall, and it can lead to the failure of the lower head. Through the failed bottom wall, part of the corium can flow into the cavity, and air can enter the primary circuit. The residual fuel in the core periphery will be further oxidized in air atmosphere. The degradation process will accelerate, and new chemical species will be formed, which can have an impact on the release of radioactive materials.Two experiments were carried out with electrically heated nine-rod pressurized water reactor-type bundles in the CODEX (COre Degradation EXperiment) facility to provide experimental data on the behavior of real fuel bundles under air oxidation conditions. The main objective of the tests was the investigation of oxidation phenomena, and some other important aspects (e.g., enhanced fission product release) were not addressed.The CODEX air ingress tests indicated the acceleration of oxidation phenomena and core degradation processes during the late phase of the vessel melt through accident, when air can have access to the residual fuel bundles in the reactor core. The degradation process was accompanied with zirconium-nitride formation and release of uranium-rich aerosols.