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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.
Isao Murata, Takamasa Mori, Masayuki Nakagawa
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 123 | Number 1 | May 1996 | Pages 96-109
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE96-A24215
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The method to treat randomly distributed spherical fuels in continuous energy Monte Carlo calculations has been established. In this method, the location of a spherical fuel is sampled probabilistically along the particle flight path from the spatial probability distribution of spherical fuels, called the nearest neighbor distribution. The necessary probability distribution was evaluated by a newly developed Monte Carlo hard sphere packing simulation code, which employs a random vector synthesis method to reduce overlaps of spherical fuels. The obtained probability distribution was validated by comparing a cross-section photograph of a real fuel compact and an X-ray diffraction experimental result. This method was installed in a Monte Carlo particle transport code and validated by an inventory check of spherical fuels and criticality calculations of ordered packing models. Also, an analysis of a critical assembly experiment was performed with the new code. As a result, it was confirmed that the method was applicable to practical reactor analysis. The method established is quite unique in the respect of probabilistically modeling the geometry of a great number of spherical fuels distributed randomly without any loss of the advantage of the continuous energy method.