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Conference Spotlight
2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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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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A webinar, and a new opportunity to take ANS’s CNP Exam
Applications are now open for the fall 2025 testing period for the American Nuclear Society’s Certified Nuclear Professional (CNP) exam. Applications are being accepted through October 14, and only three testing sessions are offered per year, so it is important to apply soon. The test will be administered from November 12 through December 16. To check eligibility and schedule your exam, click here.
In addition, taking place tomorrow (September 19) from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. (CDT), ANS will host a new webinar, “How to Become a Certified Nuclear Professional.” More information is available below in this article.
M. E. Anderson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 52 | Number 3 | March 1981 | Pages 428-430
Technical Note | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT81-A32717
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Neutron yields of 239Pu-Be(α,n) sources are increasing due to the buildup of 241 Am, an alpha emitter, from the beta decay of 241 Pu. The yields and heat outputs of four sources, in which PuBe13 was formed during fabrication, have been followed for several years. Rates of increase in neutron yields at t = 0 vary from 0.3 to 1.9%/yr for initial 241 Pu contents from 0.10 to 0.70%. For three of these sources the increase in neutron yield follows the radioactive decay of the constituents. For the fourth, the increase in neutron yield is greater than expected. A possible explanation is offered.