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The deadline arrives: Checking in on the Reactor Pilot Program
On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14301, “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the DOE,” which instructed the Department of Energy to create a Reactor Pilot Program (RPP)—a new system in which companies could pursue DOE authorization to build and test their first-of-a-kind nuclear technologies. EO 14301 set an ambitious goal for that program: three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026.
Gene L. Woodruff, David C. Quimby
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 62 | Number 1 | January 1977 | Pages 45-54
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE77-A26938
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A simplified but approximate method for the calculation of nuclear heating is described. Results using this method are compared with those of more rigorous calculations. The computational effort required is significantly reduced, and an accuracy generally better than ±20% can be achieved provided reasonable estimates of gamma-ray production are used. It would appear that the gamma-ray absorption coefficients used here are too low as a result of assuming average gamma-ray energies that are too high. As experience is gained with use of the method, greater accuracy should result from improved assumptions regarding both gamma-ray production and average gamma-ray energies.