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NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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Report touts lessons from era of nuclear waste negotiator
As the Department of Energy embarks on its consent-based process for siting a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, a new report from the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA highlights relevant lessons from the federal government’s now defunct Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator.
Established under Title IV of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the office, an independent agency within the executive branch, was primarily active from 1990 to 1995. Its role was to engage with state and tribal governments to find an acceptable and suitable host site for a repository.
The full report, Lessons from the Nuclear Waste Negotiator Era of the 1990s for Today’s Consent-Based Siting Efforts, is now available online. Its executive summary is available here.
You-Jin Jung, Jaesik Hwang, Jei-Won Yeon, Bong Hyun Boo, Kyuseok Song
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 172 | Number 2 | October 2012 | Pages 202-207
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE11-98
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The dispersion properties of boron carbide (B4C) microparticles in aqueous media were investigated by measuring the particle size distribution, the dispersibility, and the zeta potential as these properties relate to their application as neutron absorbers in fuel-storage pool water. The B4C powder is composed of particles with a narrow size distribution, with a d50 (mean diameter) of 0.65 m. The amount of B4C particles dispersed decreased exponentially with increasing dispersion time. The dispersibility of B4C particles increased with an increase in the loading of B4C particles and reached a maximum value at 12.91 wt%. The zeta potential of the B4C suspension was measured as a function of pH and temperature. The B4C suspension has a negative zeta potential value in the pH range between 2 and 12. The dispersion of B4C particles was not greatly influenced by the addition of boric acid (H3BO3). The absolute value of the zeta potential decreased with increasing temperature.