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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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
Sam Altman steps down as Oklo board chair
Advanced nuclear company Oklo Inc. has new leadership for its board of directors as billionaire Sam Altman is stepping down from the position he has held since 2015. The move is meant to open new partnership opportunities with OpenAI, where Altman is CEO, and other artificial intelligence companies.
Howard F. Bauman, Paul R. Kasten
Nuclear Technology | Volume 2 | Number 4 | August 1966 | Pages 287-293
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT66-A27518
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Thermal- and intermediate-energy molten-salt breeder reactors appear capable of fuel doubling times less than 20 years and fuel-cycle costs under 0.4 mill/kWh. These reactors are fueled with circulating molten salts consisting of the fluorides of thorium, uranium, lithium, and beryllium. Three reactor concepts were analyzed; the first two were graphite-moderated thermal breeders. In the first of these, the fissile and fertile materials were kept separated by graphite tubes in the core; in the second, the fissile and fertile materials were included in a single salt stream. In the third concept, an intermediate-energy breeder, the core was an unmoderated salt containing both fissile and fertile materials. The reactors were optimized for minimum fuel-cycle cost and maximum annual fuel yield. The results showed that each concept was capable of a low fuel-cycle cost and a short doubling time; however, the major development problems are different for each concept.