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The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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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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Smarter waste strategies: Helping deliver on the promise of advanced nuclear
At COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, a clear consensus emerged: Nuclear energy must be a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition. With electricity demand projected to soar as we decarbonize not just power but also industry, transport, and heat, the case for new nuclear is compelling. More than 20 countries committed to tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. In the United States alone, the Department of Energy forecasts that the country’s current nuclear capacity could more than triple, adding 200 GW of new nuclear to the existing 95 GW by mid-century.
Brent B. Bredehoft, Robert D. Busch
Nuclear Technology | Volume 102 | Number 2 | May 1993 | Pages 259-269
Technical Paper | Nuclear Criticality Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34821
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In tabulating critical data, the hydrogen-to-fissile atom ratio (H/X) is commonly used to characterize the amount of moderation in a system. Though adequate in many cases, H/X does not account for the moderating contribution of other light nuclei contained in common uranium-moderator mixtures. This ratio also does not account for enrichment of the system, which affects the resonance absorption characteristics and, therefore, the moderating behavior of that system. To alleviate these problems, a two-energy-group diffusion theory analogy to the six-factor formula was applied to define a new parameter p/(η2 · f2), which describes the moderation characteristics or the “thermalness” of a fissioning system and includes the effects of enrichment and the presence of moderators other than hydrogen. From an analysis of several low-enriched uranium systems with different moderators, it was found that the values of p/(η2·f2) corresponding to minimum critical mass and volume tend to center in a narrower range than do the values of H/X for the same systems. Also, the thermalness parameter does not vary with the addition of a reflector and is applicable to systems with other than hydrogenous moderators. Based on these results, the thermalness parameter p/(η2 · f2) provides an effective means of characterizing moderated systems relative to optimum conditions.