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Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
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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.
Takanori Kameyama, Tetsuo Matsumura, Motoyasu Kinoshita
Nuclear Technology | Volume 106 | Number 3 | June 1994 | Pages 334-341
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34963
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The peripheral region of a high burnup light water reactor (LWR) fuel pellet shows a microstructure that is different from the as-fabricated microstructure. The region where the microstructure change occurs (the rim region) is highly porous, and the original grains in the rim region are divided into much smaller subgrains. The electron probe microanalysis data of high burnup fuels indicate fission gas depletion in the rim region as well as in the central region. The burnup in the rim region is enhanced by built-up plutonium derived from a 238U self-shielding effect, which is called a rim effect. The rim effect accelerates microstructure change in the peripheral region. We developed a detailed burnup analysis code ANRB computing the rim effect in LWR fuels. We have verified the ANRB code performance with the data of the High Burnup Effects Program. The analysis shows that the microstructure change occurs where local burnup gets to the threshold burnup of 70 to 80 MWd/kg U in both pressurized water reactor and boiling water reactor types of fuels. The threshold burnup never changes with the plutonium/uranium burnup ratio or fission rate during the irradiation. The storage of radiation damage is expected to cause the microstructure change.
