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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
C. C. Chapman, J. L. Buelt
Nuclear Technology | Volume 49 | Number 2 | July 1980 | Pages 196-208
Nuclear Fuel Cycle | Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT80-A32482
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Vitrification tests in a continuous ceramic-lined melter have been completed with simulated radioactive wastes typical of those existing at the Savannah River Laboratory and at U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Laboratory. The results of these experiments suggest that immobilization of radioactive waste by vitrification is a promising approach for nuclear waste management. Process rates ranging from 25 to 160 kg/h were observed for simulated powdered waste glasses in the liquid-fed continuous melter. Entrapment of gas in glass bubbles or foaming at the chemical reaction layer caused a marked decrease in the processing rate. Several chemical blends were tested to assess their meltability and susceptibility to foaming. Foaming at the reaction layer was avoided in all but one of eight chemical blends. Differences in the amount of powder accumulated above the molten glass and the subsequent meltdown times strongly indicated that major variations in the meltability existed between the various chemical blends. Prototypic sized canisters (0.4, 0.61, and 0.91 m in diameter and 2.9 m tall) were filled and examined. Canisters were filled at an average rate of 76 to 93 kg/h while standing in air. The homogeneous glass product filled the canisters except for some rippled gaps at the canister wall. Gaps up to 6.4 mm were found. Unless, the radioactive decay heat exceeds the concentrations in existing wastes by a factor of 10 or more, the gaps are believed to be acceptable.