ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2026
Nuclear Technology
June 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2026
Latest News
INL reports findings on unusual quantum behavior of plutonium
Scientists at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered that plutonium hexaboride (PuB6) displays a type of unusual quantum property called a topological Kondo insulating state. Materials with this property are neither typical electricity conductors nor regular insulators. Rather, they have exterior surfaces that strongly conduct electricity and interiors that block electricity.
Alessandro Annunziato
Nuclear Technology | Volume 105 | Number 3 | March 1994 | Pages 301-321
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34932
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An analysis is presented of physical phenomena occurring during secondary-side feed-and-bleed, which is being considered as an accident management procedure for pressurized water reactors. Problem areas related to the reliability of this procedure are identified and discussed. Secondary-side feed-and-bleed, as examined in the LOBI (which is the Light Water Reactor Off-Normal Behavior Investigation) integral system test facility, was not successful because of a delay in the secondary-side heat removal caused by the release of stored heat from the steam generator downcomer wall. Countercurrent flow limiting in the hot leg was another major phenomenon that can influence the effectiveness of this procedure. The discussion of the experimental results is complemented by relevant calculations byRELAP5/MOD3. In general, it was found that the effectiveness of the feed-and-bleed procedure is maximized if the number of steam generators used to implement it is reduced.