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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Breaking ground on a new approach to construction
The drive to Kairos Power’s reactor demonstration site in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is not only scenic—it’s historic. Nearly 85 years ago, roughly 30,000 construction workers transformed orchards and farmland into a key Manhattan Project site. Depending on your route, you may pass by one of the three gatehouses that were once military checkpoints controlling access to Atomic Energy Commission production facilities.
MARK NELKIN
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 2 | Number 3 | May 1957 | Pages 373-381
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE57-A25402
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The thermal spectrum of a beryllium-moderated intermediate assembly is calculated in the approximation of a heavy crystalline moderator. The results are compared to experiment, and the qualitative agreement is found to be good. In the particular case calculated, the temperature dependence of the spectrum is so weak that a straightforward Fermi age calculation is also in good qualitative agreement. The most important uncertainties in the calculation are due to the heterogeneous distribution of neutron absorbing material, and the use of the heavy mass approximation in the presence of strong absorption.