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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.
B. Nassersharif
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 102 | Number 4 | August 1989 | Pages 408-422
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE89-A23651
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Describing functions have traditionally been used to obtain the solutions of systems of ordinary differential equations. The describing function concept has been extended to include the nonlinear, distributed parameter solid heat conduction equation. A four-step solution algorithm is presented that may be applicable to many classes of nonlinear partial differential equations. As a specific application of the solution technique, the one-dimensional nonlinear transient heat conduction equation in an annular fuel pin is considered. A computer program was written to calculate one-dimensional transient heat conduction in annular cylindrical geometry. It is found that the quasi-linearization used in the describing function method is as accurate as and faster than true linearization methods.