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Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Launching into tomorrow: NRIC guides new era of research and deployment
In June 2025, the Department of Energy announced the Reactor Pilot Program, an authorization pathway that allowed reactor developers to partner with the DOE to get first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors built and tested. Soon after, the DOE rolled out a complementary Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aimed to fast-track fuel projects. In all, 20 projects were accepted into the new programs.
M. Edward Anderson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 4 | Number 3 | March 1968 | Pages 142-147
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT68-A26377
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The neutron yields of plutonium-beryllium (α,n) sources, made of nominal 239Pu, are increasing due to the buildup of 241Am, an alpha emitter, from the beta-decay of 241Pu which is present in these sources. Measured increases in yields are compared with predicted increases based on the isotopic composition of the plutonium used in these sources. In cases where the isotopic composition was not previously known, the composition was deduced from calorimetric measurements. Sources were found to have initial rates of increase of up to 2% per year. In all cases except one the measured rate of increase was in agreement with the predicted rate.