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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Latest News
No impact from Savannah River radioactive wasps
The news is abuzz with recent news stories about four radioactive wasp nests found at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The site has been undergoing cleanup operations since the 1990s related to the production of plutonium and tritium for defense purposes during the Cold War. Cleanup activities are expected to continue into the 2060s.
Marshall Berman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 93 | Number 4 | August 1986 | Pages 321-347
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE86-A18469
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Recent large-scale experiments have indicated that scale and geometric effects can strongly influence both the ability of a fuel-air mixture to propagate or sustain a detonation, and the probability that a deflagration will undergo a transition to detonation. The data show that many past concepts concerning detonations, which were derived from small-scale experiments, should be revised. In particular, the occurrence of detonations may not be as unlikely as previously considered, especially in large-scale industrial environments in which obstacles are present. Some of the important recent experimental research is reviewed and some qualitative ideas concerning the interpretation of the experiments and their implications for improving safety are provided.