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Division Spotlight
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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!
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Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
J. C. Helton, J. E. Bean, B. M. Butcher, J. W. Garner,‡ J.D. Schreiber, P. N. Swift, P. Vaughn
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 122 | Number 1 | January 1996 | Pages 1-31
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE96-A28545
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis techniques based on Latin hypercube sampling, partial correlation analysis, stepwise regression analysis, and examination of scatterplots are used in conjunction with the BRAGFLO model to examine two-phase flow (i.e., gas and brine) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, which is being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy as a disposal facility for trans-uranic waste, to provide insights on factors that are potentially important in showing compliance with applicable regulations of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Specific regulations include “Petitions to Allow Land Disposal of a Waste Prohibited Under Subpart C of Part 268” (40 CFR 268.6), which implements the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and establishes maximum environmental concentrations for regulated chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals, and “Environmental Standards for the Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes” (40 CFR 191, Subpart B), which places a probabilistic limit on allowable radioactive releases from a disposal facility over a 10 000-yr time period. The primary topics investigated are (a) gas production due to corrosion of steel, (b) gas production due to microbial degradation of cellulosics, and (c) gas migration into anhydrite marker beds in the Salado Formation, which is the host unit into which the waste will be emplaced. Gas production and movement is of particular importance in establishing compliance with 40 CFR 268.6 because of its influence on the movement of VOCs. Important variables identified in the analysis include (a) initial brine saturation of the waste, (b) stoichiometric terms for corrosion of steel and microbial degradation of cellulosics, and (c) gas barrier pressure in the anhydrite marker beds.