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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
O. C. Kolar, H. F. Finn, N. L. Pruvost
Nuclear Technology | Volume 29 | Number 1 | April 1976 | Pages 57-72
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A16290
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The first precision array measurements with high-density plutonium-metal cylindrical parts of 3 and 6 kg took place at the Livermore Critical Assembly Facility from 1965 to 1969. Cubic arrays of up to sixty-four 6-kg parts were measured. Mock high-explosive epoxy moderators were used in several measurements. Experiments observing the effects of simulated body reflectors provided personnel safety guidance for the construction of these arrays. A comparison of Monte Carlo calculations and the experimental measurements indicated that the calculational method is sufficiently accurate to be used in nuclear safety guidance for arrays of these elements. Included for comparison are calculations for arrays comprised solely of the plutonium parts. Also included are calculations for 6-kg-part arrays in which a 0.479-cm-wide gap at the midplane has been eliminated and where the spacing was varied for each idealized array.