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2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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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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What’s the most difficult question you’ve been asked as a maintenance instructor?
Blye Widmar
"Where are the prints?!"
This was the final question in an onslaught of verbal feedback, comments, and critiques I received from my students back in 2019. I had two years of instructor experience and was teaching a class that had been meticulously rehearsed in preparation for an accreditation visit. I knew the training material well and transferred that knowledge effectively enough for all the students to pass the class. As we wrapped up, I asked the students how they felt about my first big system-level class, and they did not hold back.
“Why was the exam from memory when we don’t work from memory in the plant?” “Why didn’t we refer to the vendor documents?” “Why didn’t we practice more on the mock-up?” And so on.
Youho Lee, Thomas J. McKrell, Chao Yue, Mujid S. Kazimi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 183 | Number 2 | August 2013 | Pages 210-227
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management/Materials for Nuclear Systems | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-122
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An experimental assessment was conducted of the silicon carbide (SiC) cladding oxidation rate in steam under conditions that are representative of loss-of-coolant accidents in light water reactors (LWRs). SiC oxidation tests were performed with monolithic alpha-phase tubular samples at atmospheric pressure for steam temperatures of 1140°C and 1500°C and a Reynolds number range of 40 to 330. Linear weight loss of SiC samples due to boundary layer controlled reaction of silica scale (SiO2 volatilization) was experimentally observed. The weight loss rate increased with increasing steam flow rate and temperature. Over the range of test conditions, SiC oxidation rates were shown to be about three orders of magnitude lower than the oxidation rates of Zircaloy-4. This underlines a weaker interplay between oxidation and mechanical property degradation in comparison with Zircaloy. SiC volatilization correlations for developing laminar flow in a vertical channel were formulated for LWR accident modeling.
