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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.
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Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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
Strontium: Supply-and-demand success for the DOE’s Isotope Program
The Department of Energy’s Isotope Program (DOE IP) announced last week that it would end its “active standby” capability for strontium-82 production about two decades after beginning production of the isotope for cardiac diagnostic imaging. The DOE IP is celebrating commercialization of the Sr-82 supply chain as “a success story for both industry and the DOE IP.” Now that the Sr-82 market is commercially viable, the DOE IP and its National Isotope Development Center can “reassign those dedicated radioisotope production capacities to other mission needs”—including Sr-89.
Alexander J. Mieloszyk, Mujid S. Kazimi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 191 | Number 3 | September 2015 | Pages 268-281
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT14-104
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
To provide steady-state fuel performance evaluations for the (ThU)O2-fueled Reduced moderation Boiling Water Reactor (RBWR-Th), modifications have been made to the FRAPCON-MIT code. In addition to the use of existing (ThU)O2 capabilities in FRAPCON-MIT, a radial power profile specific to the RBWR-Th was implemented. To more accurately model the corrosion acceleration due to high fast neutron fluence, the oxidation model was modified, and a new hydrogen uptake model was introduced. A preliminary assessment of an average RBWR-Th fuel rod shows the fuel temperature to remain below 1450 K and the fission gas release (FGR) to remain below 7%. However, because of the low free gas volume of the RBWR-Th rods, the plenum pressure is very sensitive to FGR and is shown to be capable of exceeding the coolant pressure. Of more concern is the high cladding hydrogen content that results from the acceleration of hydrogen pickup at relatively low burnups, which is caused by the high fast neutron fluence on the cladding in the RBWR-Th. This high hydrogen content leads to significant restrictions and, ultimately, elimination of the margin to acceptable accident limits, presenting a distinct challenge to the RBWR-Th design. A new cladding material, GNF-Ziron, from Global Nuclear Fuels (GNF) offers a potential solution to this challenge by delaying the acceleration of the hydrogen pickup. The potential benefits of using GNF-Ziron cladding are explored in a sensitivity study. This study illustrates that the selection of an appropriate cladding material for the RBWR-Th is crucial for its success.