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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.
M. S. Kazimi
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 103 | Number 1 | September 1989 | Pages 59-69
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE89-A23660
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An assessment is presented for the thermal attack on the MARK-I boiling water reactor steel containment shell by core melt materials ejected from the vessel in a severe accident. The cooling of the core melt as it spreads and transfers heat to the concrete floor of the drywell is evaluated. It is found that the melt temperature may reach the freezing point before the melt contacts the shell, particularly if the melt was mostly oxidic or was ejected at moderate rates. The heat fluxes from the melt to the liner that can be withstood are evaluated, with and without a pool of water overlying the melt. With water above the melt, if the superheat in a mostly metallic melt is moderate to allow for the formation of a crust at the interface with the shell, the shell may survive the attack by a shallow melt layer (up to 10 cm deep). The potential for survival is much better if the melt was composed mostly of oxidic materials.