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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.
Jerry L. Stakebake
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 78 | Number 4 | August 1981 | Pages 386-392
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE81-A21372
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Kinetics for the reaction of oxygen with plutonium hydride have been measured in oxygen at 1.33 kPa and over a temperature range of 90 to 360°C. The initial reaction takes place with a very low activation energy and is limited by the formation of a protective oxide film. The protective nature of the oxide film product is dependent on the temperature. Once the oxide film is formed, the oxidation reaction is a linear process controlled by oxygen diffusion. Measurements were conducted on hydrides prepared from pure plutonium as well as a plutonium/gallium alloy.