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What’s reshaping nuclear licensing and compliance today?
Mark Reidmeyer
It is the convergence of urgency, innovation, and modernization that is reshaping nuclear licensing and compliance today.
For decades, nuclear licensing operated in a relatively stable environment built around large light water reactors, predictable review cycles, and well-established regulatory pathways. Today, that model is evolving rapidly. Advanced reactors, AI-enabled tools, digital engineering platforms, grid reliability concerns, and aggressive decarbonization goals are all pushing the industry—and regulators—to move faster and think differently.
H. O. Menlove, R. A. Forster, J. L. Parker, Darryl B. Smith
Nuclear Technology | Volume 20 | Number 2 | November 1973 | Pages 124-133
Technical Paper | Analysis | doi.org/10.13182/NT73-A31348
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A hybrid assay system utilizing both active and passive techniques has been built for the measurement of the plutonium fissile content in fast-breeder-reactor-type fuel pins. A moderated 252Cf source (∼600 µg) is used for the neutron interrogation of the fuel rods, and the fissile content is then determined by counting the high-energy delayed gamma rays resulting from the induced fission reactions. Neutron transport calculations using both Sn and Monte Carlo techniques were used to design the 252Cf neutron tailoring assembly to give an intense fast-neutron irradiation, as well as a high fissile/fertile fission ratio. In addition to the total fissile active assay, pellet-to-pellet uniformity is determined simultaneously by counting the lower energy passive gamma rays from the fuel using the same NaI detectors. The complete assay system, which includes automated fuel-rod handling and data reduction, is being used for in-plant measurements of Fast Flux Test Facility fuel pins.