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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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August 2025
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July 2025
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Latest News
NRC cuts fees by 50 percent for advanced reactor applicants
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced it has amended regulations for the licensing, inspection, special projects, and annual fees it will charge applicants and licensees for fiscal year 2025.
Mitchell T. Farmer, Matthew Weathered, Darius Lisowski, Nathan Bremer, Dennis Kilsdonk, Tim Stack, Caleb Tomlin, Chris Plucker, Ed Moreno, Ran Kong, Zhengting Quan, Adam Dix, Seungjin Kim, Mamoru Ishii, Mark Anderson, Andrew Napora
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 196 | Number 1 | October 2022 | Pages S148-S164
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2052552
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The objective of the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) is to enable testing of advanced reactor fuels and materials in a fast spectrum neutron environment. Internal cartridge loop testing capabilities are being developed that will allow the cartridge coolant to be isolated from the reactor coolant. This approach will allow various cartridge coolants to be investigated, thereby maximizing testing capability. A sodium cartridge loop testing capability is being developed by a team that includes Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) as the laboratory partner, Framatome Inc. as the industrial partner, and Purdue University along with the University of Wisconsin–Madison as university partners. Specific elements of the current work include overall cartridge loop design development that is being led by Framatome, Inc. Coolant chemistry monitoring and control are key elements of any high-pedigree irradiation testing capability; the University of Wisconsin is leading this effort by developing and experimentally verifying methods for achieving this capability in pile. Purdue University is developing a scaling methodology, and on that basis, a thermal-hydraulic testing capability to validate fluid flow and heat transfer models for the cartridge that will be used to support design and safety analysis activities. Argonne has focused on developing and testing technologies specifically targeted at simplifying VTR operations, as well as developing modeling tools to support cartridge loop design and safety analysis. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the current status of the sodium fast reactor cartridge development, including details on the cartridge functional requirements, physical design, chemistry control, operations, and safety.