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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
Standards Program
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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
Yu-Huai Shih, Shih-Jen Wang, Kai-Cheng Chuang, Tzu-En Huang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 186 | Number 3 | June 2014 | Pages 340-352
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-145
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Fukushima Daiichi accident occurred on March 11, 2011. A seismic event and tsunami induced an extended station blackout plus loss of the ultimate heat sink. Three units progressed into a core melt severe accident. The accident occurred in the emergency operation procedure (EOP) domain. However, this situation was already beyond the scope of an EOP. The operator followed the EOP faithfully, and a core melt situation still occurred. An interesting topic is whether it is possible to avoid this type of accident. The purpose of this study is to survey the Fukushima accident progression with respect to the effect of the containment venting strategy for the Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant EOPs. Under the emergency situation, only a small reactor pressure vessel (RPV) injection system was available. This type of accident may be avoided by an early shift from the EOP to the severe accident guideline (SAG), switching from high-pressure injection to low-pressure injection while the reactor core isolation cooling system is available, gradually lowering the RPV pressure, and maximizing the injection flow rate. The plant responses and accident physical phenomena were simulated using MAAP5. The results show that the consequences of an uncovered core and core melt can be avoided by adopting the proper RPV depressurization and containment venting strategy.