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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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No impact from Savannah River radioactive wasps
The news is abuzz with recent news stories about four radioactive wasp nests found at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The site has been undergoing cleanup operations since the 1990s related to the production of plutonium and tritium for defense purposes during the Cold War. Cleanup activities are expected to continue into the 2060s.
Li-Chi Cliff Po
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 98 | Number 2 | February 1988 | Pages 154-161
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE88-A28495
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The once-through steam generator version of the personal computer transient analyzer, PCTRAN/P, was used to simulate the overcooling event that occurred on December 26, 1985, at Rancho Seco. Loss of power to the integrated control system led to a reactor trip and overfeeding by the auxiliary feedwater with excessive steam dump. As a result, the plant cooled down rapidly in a short period. PCTRAN/P has successfully reproduced the transient using its interactive control functions. Areas of the system’s design deficiencies are thus identified and modifications can be made to prevent a similar event from recurring. The computation time on an IBM-PC/XT was ∼20 min for the 50-min transient. This demonstrates that PCTRAN/P can be used as a fast-turnaround tool for conducting reactor transient analyses.