ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
UM conducts molten salt experiment
For 2,300 hours, the molten salt pump Shaft Seal Test Facility (SSTF) operated at the University of Michigan’s Thermal Hydraulics Laboratory, according to an article from UM. The large-scale experiment was designed to evaluate shaft seal performance in high-temperature pump systems. Fewer than 10 facilities worldwide have successfully operated fluoride or chloride salts for more than 100 hours using over 10 kilograms of material.
R. L. Doan
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 12 | Number 1 | January 1962 | Pages 23-32
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE62-A25365
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The MTR completed its ninth year of successful operation on March 31, 1961. During this period the reactor has been operating at design power, or better, approximately 70% of the time, for a total cumulative thermal energy production of 82,900 megawatt days. This represents an average of 768 Mw-days for each of its 108 months of operation. The operating power level, originally designed for 30 Mw thermal, was raised to 40 Mw in 1955. Although normally operating an a fully enriched uranium core, the MTR has also operated successfully for one fuel cycle on a 20% enriched core and a plutonium core. A total of 10,500 individual irradiations have been performed in the MTR under AEC sponsorship and 986 under commercial programs. The Engineering Test Reactor has been in successful operation at full design power of 175 Mw thermal for approximately three years, except for down-time occasioned by loop installations, experiment insertions and removals, and refueling. Total accumulated energy production to March 31, 1961, was 80,900 Mw-days. Installation of major in-core loops is continuing, but is expected to be essentially complete by the end of 1961. The down-time occasioned by such installations and the low-power tests required by some of them will hold the on-stream operating time for the ETR to about 50% during 1961. A total of 1215 individual irradiations have been performed in the ETR under AEC sponsorship and 21 under commercial programs. Roughly 41% of the $7,841,000 MTR-ETR program costs for FY 1960 were associated with the civilian reactors program, 40% with classified programs, and 3% with privately financed irradiations. The remaining 16% represents general research and development activities and radioisotope production. Approximately 700,000 C (curies) of radiocobalt have been produced in the MTR-ETR to date, mostly in the 20–50 C/gm range. Highest specific activity produced thus far is 308 C/gm. No serious reactor incident has been encountered to date in either the MTR or ETR, and there have been no serious overexposures of personnel to radiation. The basic operating philosophy places strong emphasis on safety of reactors and personnel. This philosophy is implemented by (1) a continuously functioning safeguard review board with power of veto over all reactor operations, (2) careful operator training and supervision, (3) firm instructions to all operators that the reactors are to be scrammed promptly whenever any of the instrumentation or circuitry indicates abnormal behavior, (4) prohibition against operating either reactor with any significant defects in control instrumentation, fuel elements or shim rods, and (5) strict limitations on permissible departures from standard operating parameters and procedures by reactor operators.