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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.
Patrick Barbrault
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 122 | Number 2 | February 1996 | Pages 240-246
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE96-A24158
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Within the framework of French reprocessing policy, for several years, Electricité de France has been studying a high-moderating-ratio (HMR) pressurized water reactor that could accept 100% mixed-oxide (MOX) reloads. Total plutonium content is 9% to ensure a discharge burnup of 60 000 MWd/tonne. A high-moderating ratio (2.5 instead of 2.0) is obtained by replacing 36 fuel rods by water holes. This solution combines the advantages of high moderation (better efficiency of soluble boron, control rods, etc.) and technological continuity. The core should contain 241 fuel assemblies for a total thermal output of 4250 MW(thermal). The fuel management is easy, but core control requires the use of 10B-enriched boron carbide for the control rods and 10B-enriched soluble boric acid for the primary system, thereby ensuring satisfactory core behavior under accident conditions such as control rod ejection and unexpected valve opening on the secondary side. The advantages of this 100% MOX core compared with a 50% MOX core are discussed. This concept is fully compatible with the future European pressurized reactor (EPR). This 100% MOX HMR reactor could be the plutonium version of the EPR.
