ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Swiss nuclear power and the case for long-term operation
Designed for 40 years but built to last far longer, Switzerland’s nuclear power plants have all entered long-term operation. Yet age alone says little about safety or performance. Through continuous upgrades, strict regulatory oversight, and extensive aging management, the country’s reactors are being prepared for decades of continued operation, in line with international practice.
Charles R. Marotta
Nuclear Technology | Volume 42 | Number 3 | March 1979 | Pages 350-352
Technical Note | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32192
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A simple and accurate calculation method is presented for the variation of bubble worth in a molten core. The method depends on previous analysis of the author on reactivity increase due to compaction of unmoderated fissile systems. The average density of the fuel material after it has expanded into the bubble region is the controlling parameter of the proposed method. Comparison with detailed bubble worth calculations due to Nicholson and Goldsmith shows excellent agreement. Given a “quality” base worth case, the bubble worth variation for the perturbed system (of fuel, either moving into or out of the bubble volume) can be accurately calculated in terms of the base worth value. The proposed method can be used to evaluate the physical reasonableness of complex calculations using transport theory or Monte Carlo for estimates of bubble worth.