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Division Spotlight
Human Factors, Instrumentation & Controls
Improving task performance, system reliability, system and personnel safety, efficiency, and effectiveness are the division's main objectives. Its major areas of interest include task design, procedures, training, instrument and control layout and placement, stress control, anthropometrics, psychological input, and motivation.
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.
Masahiro Ueta, Masakazu Ichimiya, Hiroshi Hirayama, Masayuki Asano, Hisaaki Ikeuchi, Katsuhisa Sekine, Tetsuhiko Kodama, Kenichiro Sato
Nuclear Technology | Volume 100 | Number 1 | October 1992 | Pages 1-12
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34749
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The core support structure of a fast breeder reactor supports the fuel assemblies, supplies sodium coolant to the fuel assemblies, and maintains the insertability of control rods even during an earthquake. The core support structure is designed as a box fabricated of welded plates, ribs, and cylinders that distribute the load in a diverse manner, in order to reduce the weight and to fulfill safety-related functions. This box structure was not adopted in the Monju prototype reactor; thus, a method to evaluate the structural integrity of this structure must be developed. To prepare design guidelines, structural integrity was studied in accordance with the requirements and features of the box structure. This study consisted of the evaluation of crack propagation under loadings on cracks with hypothetical dimensions as well as an ordinary structural design method. To clarify the crack propagation behavior, partial-scale model tests were conducted that simulated typical core support structure parts. From the results of these experiments, the crack growth rate was evaluated and incorporated into the structural integrity evaluation method. Finally, the structural integrity of the core support structure of the Japanese demonstration reactor is evaluated by this method.