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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.
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2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
A. Rahier, R. Cornelissen, A. Bruggeman, P. De Regge
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 14 | Number 2 | September 1988 | Pages 602-607
Tritium Processing | Proceedings of the Third Topical Meeting on Tritium Technology in Fission, Fusion and Isotopic Applications (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, May 1-6, 1988) | doi.org/10.13182/FST88-A25200
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the framework of the European fusion technology programme, SCK/CEN (Mol, Belgium) has continued the development of an electrolysis cell for highly tritiated water. In the resulting original concept, the liquid inventory is limited to the vertical porous gas separator which is wetted by capillarity. Use is made of thermoelectric heat pumps to cool the cell down to about 8 °C. Intensive testing with light water has been performed successfully during more than 10,000 cumulated hours with mock-up cells, and during more than 6,000 cumulated hours with a prototype cell. These tests have demonstrated the robustness and the long-term reliability of the proposed system. Further experiments are going on with the aim to characterize the working of the capillary cell. In the same time, peripheral equipment such as demisters and cold traps are being tested. These devices are to be incorporated in a dedicated loop for testing with tritiated water at the nominal specific activity (∼ 4.1019 Bq/m3).
