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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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Powering the future: How the DOE is fueling nuclear fuel cycle research and development
As global interest in nuclear energy surges, the United States must remain at the forefront of research and development to ensure national energy security, advance nuclear technologies, and promote international cooperation on safety and nonproliferation. A crucial step in achieving this is analyzing how funding and resources are allocated to better understand how to direct future research and development. The Department of Energy has spearheaded this effort by funding hundreds of research projects across the country through the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). This initiative has empowered dozens of universities to collaborate toward a nuclear-friendly future.
Kenny C. Gross, Robert V. Strain
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 76 | Number 2 | November 1980 | Pages 163-174
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE80-A19448
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experimental and analytical techniques have been developed for delayed neutron (DN) signal analysis and characterization that can provide diagnostic information to augment data from cover-gas analyses in the detection and identification of breached elements in a liquid-metal fast breeder reactor. Eleven flow reduction tests have been run in Experimental Breeder Reactor II to provide base data support for predicting DN signal characteristics during exposed fuel operation. Results from the tests demonstrate the feasibility and practicability of response-analysis techniques for determining (a) the transit time, Ttr, for DN emitters traveling from the core to the detector, and (b) the isotopic holdup time, Th, of DN precursors in the fuel element. The value Ttr varies with the relative grid location of the DN source, and Th is affected by the form of fuel exposed to the coolant as well as the condition of the breach site. These parameters are incorporated into a mathematical formulism that enables one to compute for any exposed-fuel test an “equivalent recoil area.” This concept provides a basis for comparison of different run-beyond-cladding-breach tests in fast reactors.