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NRC proposes changes to its rules on nuclear materials
In response to Executive Order 14300, “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” the NRC is proposing sweeping changes to its rules governing the use of nuclear materials that are widely used in industry, medicine, and research. The changes would amend NRC regulations for the licensing of nuclear byproduct material, some source material, and some special nuclear material.
As published in the May 18 Federal Register, the NRC is seeking public comment on this proposed rule and draft interim guidance until July 2.
S. B. Brumbach, R. W. Goin, S. G. Carpenter
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 98 | Number 2 | February 1988 | Pages 103-117
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE88-A28490
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Recent measurements in the zero-power physics reactor have been used to study the effects of spatial decoupling in fast reactor critical assemblies of various sizes and compositions. Flux distributions in these assemblies had varying degrees of sensitivity to perturbations. Decoupling was investigated using rod-drop, boron-oscillator, and noise-coherence techniques, which emphasized different times following perturbations. Equilibrium flux distributions were also measured for subcritical configurations with inserted control rods. For most assemblies, accurate reactivity measurements were obtained by analyzing the power history from a single detector using inverse kinetics methods, assuming an instantaneous efficiency change for the detector. The instantaneous efficiency change assumption broke down, however, in assemblies with zones in which normal plutonium fuel was replaced by 235U fuel or fuel with a high 240Pu content. Flux redistributions caused by perturbations in these cores took several minutes to evolve.