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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
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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Latest News
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.
Yigal Ronen, Samuel Carmona
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 74 | Number 2 | May 1980 | Pages 84-94
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE80-A19625
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Water breeder reactors based on thermal water reactors have the advantages of a well-proven technology, a wide operational experience, and an acceptable safety status, the latter from using water as a coolant and having a negative void coefficient. Water breeder reactors are now in operation for the 232Th-233U cycle and are being designed for the 238U-Pu cycle. This paper proposes a water breeder system in which two reactors operate in symbiosis, one using 238U-233U as fuel and producing plutonium, and the other using 232Th-Pu as fuel and producing 233U. Thus, each reactor feeds the other. From the breeding point of view, the combined system has an advantage over the separate 238U-Pu and 233Th-233U cycles.
