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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.
R. M. Holford, R. V. Osborne
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 69 | Number 1 | January 1979 | Pages 14-21
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE79-A21280
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In heavy water reactors, tritium is formed by the (n,γ) reaction on deuterium and by the (n,p) reaction on the tritium decay product 3He. The relative contribution of the latter reaction depends on the retention time of 3He in the heavy water system. If the retention is at least 10 days, then, with an effective neutron flux of 1014 cm−2·s−1, the activity of tritium produced by the 3He reaction is at least 4% of that produced by the deuterium reaction after operation for 5 yr and is at least 22% after 30 yr. Complete retention of the 3He would result in similar contributions from both reactions to the concentration of tritium in a heavy water system after 30 yr.