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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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U.S. nuclear supply chain: Ready for liftoff
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
This month, September 8–11, the American Nuclear Society is teaming up with the Nuclear Energy Institute to host our first-ever Nuclear Energy Conference and Expo—NECX for short—in Atlanta. This new meeting combines ANS’s Utility Working Conference and NEI’s Nuclear Energy Assembly to form what NEI CEO Maria Korsnick and I hope will be the premier nuclear industry gathering in America.
We did this because after more than four decades of relative stagnation, the U.S. nuclear supply chain is finally entering a new era of dynamic growth. This resurgence is being driven by several powerful and increasingly durable forces: the explosive demand for electricity from artificial intelligence and data centers, an unprecedented wave of public and private acceptance of—and investment in—advanced nuclear technologies, and a strong market signal for reliable, on-demand power. Add the recent Trump administration executive orders on nuclear into the mix, and you have all the makings of an accelerant-rich business environment primed for rapid expansion.
Carl A. Beard, John J. Buksa, J. Wiley Davidson, Stacey L. Eaton, John J. Park, James W. Toevs, Kenneth A. Werley
Nuclear Technology | Volume 120 | Number 1 | October 1997 | Pages 19-40
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35428
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The radiation barrier alloy (RBA) concept is a method for introducing radioactive, chemical, and physical barriers for storing weapons-grade plutonium, and yet still allowing for accurate material control and accountability, as well as for retrieving the material by the host nation if desired. The radioactive and chemical barriers are achieved by fabricating the plutonium in the form of a plutonium-beryllium compound (PuBe13), which results in neutron emission resulting from (α,n) reactions within the compound and multiplication from (n,fission) processes in the plutonium. Preliminary physics analyses have been completed, as well as a general review of fabrication techniques and availability of the required materials. These studies revealed that dose levels in excess of 500 rem/h at a 1-m distance from the surface of the RBA assembly can be obtained. However, essential for achieving these dose levels is operation at a high level of neutron multiplication (keff∼0.9). Criticality concerns, even under flooded conditions, can be eliminated through the use of a thermal-neutron-absorbing material (e.g., cadmium) either as a cladding material or a container material surrounding the RBA assembly. Fabrication techniques for the Pu-Be compound are well demonstrated and fully compatible with the RBA assembly fabrication. Data from disassembly of Pu-Be sources indicate that the compound is stable and no significant physical degradation occurs over a 40-yr timeframe. There is no reason to believe that any additional problems exist for longer time frames, given that the components are designed for the appropriate lifetimes (i.e., adequately account for gas production). The materials required for RBA implementation are available in the required quantities, and cost of these materials is not prohibitive. The possible exception is tantalum, although its use is nonessential for RBA performance and hence it will probably be eliminated from future RBA designs. Additional physical barriers can be added by welding the assembly together and encasing the assembly in an outer container. If desired, the assembly (inside the outer container) can also be immersed in a neutronically inert matrix such as lead. The lead serves a dual role in that in makes it difficult to move because of the additional weight, and it increases safety by reducing the possibility of a criticality accident resulting from flooding or assembly crushing. To further the RBA preconceptual analyses, a baseline design based on physics performance was developed. For the baseline RBA configuration, approximately six RBA assemblies, each 31 m3 in volume, would be required to store 50 Mt of weapons-grade plutonium.
