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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.
A. Charlier, M. Doucet, C. Vandenberg, W. de Roovere, J. Bens
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 100 | Number 4 | December 1988 | Pages 451-457
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE88-A23578
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
For optimal operation of a power plant, it is now necessary to install an expert system in the control room, particularly to aid the operator in predicting, following, and explaining operating events. The three-dimensional MICROLUX code, foreseen for such a system, was tested on an operating event occurring in the Doel-3 reactor. After an ≈6-h scram, the return to full power (PN) was limited at 15% PN because of an unacceptable axial offset deviation, which was believed to have been caused by xenon buildup during the shutdown. The reactor was then required to be operated at reduced power for 18 h before again reaching nominal power. From the study, however, it seems that there was no danger in returning directly to full power in spite of the ex-core indications. The three-dimensional calculations and the ex-core results show that there is a need to investigate the ex-core/in-core relationship when the reactor is operated outside the calibration field. These preliminary results indicate that the axial offset concept should be analyzed on the basis of a large number of transient operating conditions with the help of three-dimensional methods, which give a better description of the core behavior during transients. The use of such methods could contribute to a safer and more economical operation of the reactor.