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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
IAEA program uses radioisotopes to protect rhinos
After two years of testing, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, have begun officially implementing the Rhisotope Project, an innovative effort to combat rhino poaching and trafficking by leveraging nuclear technology.
Kim Burns, Ed Love, Monte Elmore
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 71 | Number 4 | May 2017 | Pages 544-548
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1291038
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Currently there are large uncertainties associated with the source of tritium in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Reactor Coolant System (RCS). The measured amount of tritium in the coolant cannot be separated out empirically into its individual sources. Therefore, all sources of tritium in the RCS of a PWR must be understood theoretically. One potential source of tritium in the RCS is due to tritium production in secondary sources. Neutron sources provide a flux of neutrons that are used to support reactor startup. Primary startup neutron source rods made of 252Cf are inserted into the reactor during the first cycle of a new nuclear reactor. The primary neutron sources are used to produce enough neutrons through spontaneous fission to create a sufficient neutron flux to be seen by the ex-core neutron detectors and facilitate reactor startup. Antimony-Beryllium secondary startup neutron sources are also inserted in the first reactor cycle to provide a neutron source for startups in future cycles. The Beryllium in the secondary sources is a source of tritium when irradiated in a neutron flux. This paper will discuss tritium produced within the secondary sources.