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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Christmas Light
’Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
No electrons were flowing through even my mouse.
All devices were plugged by the chimney with care
With the hope that St. Nikola Tesla would share.
C. E. Dickerman, L. E. Robinson, B. Blumenthal, R. Stewart
Nuclear Technology | Volume 3 | Number 1 | January 1967 | Pages 9-17
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT67-A27819
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Sodium-bonded Th-20wt%U fast-reactor-type fuel elements have been studied in transient meltdown experiments ranging up to complete sample meltdown, conducted in the TREAT reactor. The high melting thorium matrix supported the fuel during transient heating at temperatures significantly beyond the solidus. Because the fuel was still relatively intact at the temperatures of cladding failure, internal pressure was not effective in ejecting fuel upon failure. The dominant mechanism of fuel movement was gravity.