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Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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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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Smarter waste strategies: Helping deliver on the promise of advanced nuclear
At COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, a clear consensus emerged: Nuclear energy must be a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition. With electricity demand projected to soar as we decarbonize not just power but also industry, transport, and heat, the case for new nuclear is compelling. More than 20 countries committed to tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. In the United States alone, the Department of Energy forecasts that the country’s current nuclear capacity could more than triple, adding 200 GW of new nuclear to the existing 95 GW by mid-century.
E. E. Bloom, F. W. Wiffen, P. J. Maziasz, J. O. Stiegler
Nuclear Technology | Volume 31 | Number 1 | October 1976 | Pages 115-122
Technical Paper | Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31703
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Results of a series of neutron irradiation experiments conducted on annealed and 20% cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel in a high-flux mixed-spectrum fission reactor to simulate a controlled thermonuclear reactor (CTR) first wall displacement per atom (dpa) and helium production are reviewed. Using previously suggested criteria of a maximum of 10% volume increase and a minimum of 0.5% uniform strain in a uniaxial tensile test, estimates of temperature and fluence limits for this alloy are made. The large amounts of helium produced by irradiation in the mixed-spectrum fission reactor caused significantly more swelling than occurred in fast reactor irradiations (low helium-generation rates). Cold working effectively suppressed swelling up to 550 to 600°C. Using a criterion of 10% swelling and limited data on the fluence dependence of swelling, a first wall life of 16.5 (MW yr)/m2 (at 530°C) for 20% cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel is estimated. Embrittlement may be the property that limits first wall life. At 350°C acceptable ductility was retained in the cold-worked steel to very high damage levels (49 dpa, 3320 appm helium), and it appears that the 0.5% uniform strain criterion will not be limiting. At higher temperatures, however, this is not the situation. At 650°C the uniform and total plastic strain were zero in samples irradiated to 61 dpa and 4140 appm helium. At 575°C, 0.5% uniform strain was retained in the cold-worked material to relatively high damage levels; however, the fractures were intergranular. The creep-rupture life at 550 and 45 000 psi was reduced by 5 × 104 compared to the unirradiated property. Generally greater embrittlement in the solution-annealed material suggest that cold-worked material would be preferred for CTR first wall structures. The marked reduction in ductility and rupture life and intergranular tensile fractures suggest that stress will have to be maintained at very low levels to prevent fracture. The loss of ductility indicates reductions in fatigue life that must be investigated.
