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Conference 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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August 2025
Latest News
New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
Michael R. Jonzen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 45 | Number 1 | August 1979 | Pages 54-67
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32285
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Detailed mass and energy calculations have been used to study the fuel- and power-producing capabilities of a gas-cooled fast reactor and a nonoptimized ignition tokamak fusion-fission hybrid reactor. Equivalent energy inputs and outputs are utilized to evaluate the performance of the reactors. The time to recover reactor inputs, system efficiencies, and lifetime net outputs are compared. Fuel production capabilities of the hybrid are contrasted with those of the gas centrifuge and gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment processes for various ore costs. Results show that fuel- and power-producing hybrid systems can compare favorably with fission breeders and isotope separation systems, particularly when utilized in 233U-fueled symbiotic systems.