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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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
The progress so far: An update on the Reactor Pilot Program
It has been about three months since the Department of Energy named 10 companies for its new Reactor Pilot Program, which maps out how the DOE would meet the goal announced by executive order in May of having three reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.
Rafael Isayev, Natalia Pukhareva, Evgeniy Malinovskiy, Egor Korenevski, Pavel Dzhumaev
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 199 | Number 4 | April 2025 | Pages 531-549
Review Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2024.2383110
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The compatibility of structural materials with lead and lead-bismuth eutectic is a significant challenge in the development of fast neutron reactors with heavy-liquid-metal coolants. Liquid-metal corrosion negatively affects ferritic-martensitic steel EP823-Sh. The mechanism of liquid-metal corrosion of steels corresponds to physicochemical dissolution when the oxygen content in lead is less than the equilibrium value. The selective dissolution of steel components from the surface of the claddings is observed. When the oxygen concentration exceeds the equilibrium value, the corrosion products are the outer oxide layer of magnetite and the chromium spinel of nonstoichiometric composition such as Fe(Fe1-x,Crx)2O4, as well as the development of an internal oxidation zone along the grain boundaries, which also can be observed. The pure-lead heat transfer sublayer between the fuel and the cladding causes the dissolution and deposition of steel components on the inner surface of the cladding. To increase corrosion resistance, it is proposed to modify the surface using plasma and laser processing, as well as by applying protective coatings.