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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Latest News
No impact from Savannah River radioactive wasps
The news is abuzz with recent news stories about four radioactive wasp nests found at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The site has been undergoing cleanup operations since the 1990s related to the production of plutonium and tritium for defense purposes during the Cold War. Cleanup activities are expected to continue into the 2060s.
John E. Bennett, Adolph L. Beyerlein
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 80 | Number 2 | February 1982 | Pages 313-321
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE82-A21433
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new approach in the application of modern system identification and estimation techniques is proposed to help nuclear reprocessing facilities meet the nuclear accountability requirement proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The proposed identification and estimation method considers the material inventory in a portion of the chemical separations area of a reprocessing facility. The method addresses the nonlinear aspects of the problem, the time delay through the separation facility, and the lack of measurement access. The method utilizes only input-output measured data and knowledge of the uncertainties associated with the process and measured data. The approach of accurate materials accountability presented could also be applied to other processes exhibiting the same characteristics such as time delays, nonlinear process, and the lack of measurement access.