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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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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.
L. H. Johnson, D. W. Shoesmith, G. E. Lunansky, M. G. Bailey, P. R. Tremaine
Nuclear Technology | Volume 56 | Number 2 | February 1982 | Pages 238-253
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT82-A32851
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An integrated experimental approach to mechanistic studies of the leaching and dissolution of irradiated UO2fuel is described. The program includes an investigation of the solubility of the UO2 matrix under thermodynamically well-defined conditions, detailed measurements of the leaching and dissolution of irradiated fuel under simulated disposal conditions, and electrochemical measurements with a novel UO2 electrode to elucidate dissolution mechanisms. Initial experiments show that the solubility of UO2 under alkaline reducing conditions is relatively insensitive to temperature changes, that the leach rates of irradiated fuel are also not strongly temperature dependent, and that surface films on the UO2 fuel may play an important role in the dissolution process. Several aspects of the UO2 matrix dissolution process are now understood, and the approach taken has indicated where future work is needed.
