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 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
Mirion announces appointments
Mirion Technologies has announced three senior leadership appointments designed to support its global nuclear and medical businesses while advancing a company-wide digital and AI strategy. The leadership changes come as Mirion seeks to advance innovation and maintain strong performance in nuclear energy, radiation safety, and medical applications.
A. L. Pitner, B. C. Gneiting, F. E. Bard
Nuclear Technology | Volume 112 | Number 2 | November 1995 | Pages 194-203
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT95-A35173
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In comparison with the Fast Flux Test Facility Type 316 stainless steel driver design, six test assemblies employing D9 alloy in place of stainless steel for duct, cladding, and wire wrap material were irradiated to demonstrate the improved performance and lifetime capability of an advanced D9 alloy driver design. A single pinhole-type breach occurred in one of the high-exposure tests after a peak fuel burnup of 155 MWd/kg metal (M) and peak fast neutron fluence of 25 × 1022 n/cm2 (E > 0.1 MeV). Postirradiation examinations were performed on four of the test assemblies and measured results were compared with analytical evaluations. A revised swelling correlation for D9 alloy was developed to provide improved agreement between calculated and measured cladding deformation results. A fuel pin lifetime design criterion of 5% calculated hoop strain was derived from these results. Alternatively, fuel pin lifetimes were developed for two irradiation parameters using statistical failure analyses. For a 99.99% reliability, the analyses indicated a peak fast-fluence lifetime of 21.0 × 1022 n/cm2, or a peak fuel burnup > 120 MWd/kg M. In comparison with the Fast Flux Test Facility reference driver design, the extended lifetime capability of D9 alloy would reduce fuel supply requirements for the liquid-metal reactor by a third.