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Thermal Hydraulics
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
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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The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
Yang Hong Jung, Boung Ok Yoo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 5 | May 2021 | Pages 726-734
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1805250
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Chalk River Unidentified Deposit (CRUD) specimens were sampled and analyzed using an electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA; JEOL JXA-8230R) with a bundle of spent nuclear fuel (actual burnup 49 655 MWd/tonne U) from a Korean nuclear power plant. CRUD collection in the reactor refueling cavity was carried out using the following two methods. The first method used an Al2O3 scraper to scrape a specific area of the fuel cladding and then a paper filter to draw the suspended pieces around it. The second method removed CRUD deposited outside the cladding by vibrating the fuel bundle with an ultrasonic wave. In the first method, scraping some parts of the fuel rods with the Al2O3 scraper made it difficult to obtain an analytical sample because of the very small sample collection. However, the results of the analysis of the identified CRUD samples accurately confirmed the shape and composition of the CRUD in the specific area of the fuel rods desired by the user. In contrast, the second method using the ultrasonic cleaner made it very difficult to analyze samples because of the excessive amount of collected CRUD. In this study, we will discuss two methods for collecting corrosion products existing in the primary cooling system of a pressurized water reactor and the results of an analysis using a shielded EPMA. In addition, we will confirm the value of the Ni/Fe ratio.