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The deadline arrives: Checking in on the Reactor Pilot Program
On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14301, “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the DOE,” which instructed the Department of Energy to create a Reactor Pilot Program (RPP)—a new system in which companies could pursue DOE authorization to build and test their first-of-a-kind nuclear technologies. EO 14301 set an ambitious goal for that program: three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026.
Raymond Gold and Roland J. Armani, James H. Roberts
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 34 | Number 1 | October 1968 | Pages 13-32
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE68-A19362
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The method of fission track counting has been placed on a precise absolute basis. Sources of systematic error have been investigated and eliminated or reduced so that precise fission rate measurements can be conducted. Solid State Track Recorders (SSTR) of pre-etched mica and polycarbonate resin (Makrofol) have been used. Experimental results depend critically on the quality of the fission sources employed. Consequently, different methods of fission source preparation have been examined. The efficiency and sensitivity of this method have been determined for both mica and Makrofol. An irradiation assembly providing uniform neutron flux exposures is used for relative measurements. Absolute calibrations have been carried out with 244Cm spontaneous fission sources. A limiting accuracy of close to 1% for absolute uranium fission rate measurements has been achieved.