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Division Spotlight
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Take steps on SNF and HLW disposal
Matt Bowen
With a new administration and Congress, it is time once again to ponder what will happen—if anything—on U.S. spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste management policy over the next few years. One element of the forthcoming discussion seems clear: The executive and legislative branches are eager to talk about recycling commercial SNF. Whatever the merits of doing so, it does not obviate the need for one or more facilities for disposal of remaining long-lived radionuclides. For that reason, making progress on U.S. disposal capabilities remains urgent, lest the associated radionuclide inventories simply be left for future generations to deal with.
In March, Rick Perry, who was secretary of energy during President Trump’s first administration, observed that during his tenure at the Department of Energy it became clear to him that any plan to move SNF “required some practical consent of the receiving state and local community.”1
N. R. Chellew, R. K. Steunenberg
Nuclear Technology | Volume 3 | Number 3 | March 1967 | Pages 142-146
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT67-A27868
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The reaction UCl3 + Pu ⇋ PuCl3 + U was examined by measurement of the redistribution of plutonium after equilibration of molten uranium alloys containing 0.2 to 4.2% Pu with UCl3 diluted with CaCl2. Equilibrium constants for the reaction, calculated from the experimental results, were about 200 at 1150°C and 170 at 1200°C. For reactants equilibrated at 1200°C, the loss of Pu by vaporization was small (≈1% of the initial concentration in the alloy during a 30-min reaction period), and the contamination of the metallic ingot by reaction with BeO containment crucibles was negligible. The experimentally derived equilibrium constant for the reaction at 1200°C was used to predict the extraction of Plutonium from uranium containing 1 to 4% Pu. The calculated extraction was sufficiently large to show promise for the application of chloride slagging techniques to the processing of metallic breeder blanket material.
