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Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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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Latest News
Glass strategy: Hanford’s enhanced waste glass program
The mission of the Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is to complete the safe cleanup of waste resulting from decades of nuclear weapons development. One of the most technologically challenging responsibilities is the safe disposition of approximately 56 million gallons of radioactive waste historically stored in 177 tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
ORP has a clear incentive to reduce the overall mission duration and cost. One pathway is to develop and deploy innovative technical solutions that can advance baseline flow sheets toward higher efficiency operations while reducing identified risks without compromising safety. Vitrification is the baseline process that will convert both high-level and low-level radioactive waste at Hanford into a stable glass waste form for long-term storage and disposal.
Although vitrification is a mature technology, there are key areas where technology can further reduce operational risks, advance baseline processes to maximize waste throughput, and provide the underpinning to enhance operational flexibility; all steps in reducing mission duration and cost.
M. T. Andrews, J. T. Goorley, E. C. Corcoran, D. G. Kelly
Nuclear Technology | Volume 187 | Number 3 | September 2014 | Pages 235-242
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-72
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Study of the magnitude and temporal behavior of delayed neutrons (DNs) enables the identification of fissile isotopes and a determination of their relative quantities. Thus, the ability to model accurately these neutrons and the methods of their detection is of relevance to nuclear forensics and counterterrorism. The capability of MCNP6 to model these emissions was examined and compared to measurements of the DNs produced by 233U, 235U, and 239Pu after neutron-induced fission. Fissile samples were irradiated in a SLOWPOKE-2 research reactor for 60 s and were then conveyed via pneumatic tubing to an array of six 3He detectors embedded in a paraffin moderator. Several MCNP6 input files were created to reproduce irradiation conditions, temporal DN emission, and the detection arrangement. Nuclear reactions and other effects within the 3He detectors were reproduced by MCNP6, and detection efficiencies of this modeled arrangement determined by MCNP6 were in agreement with experimental measurements. Finally, the library and model DN emission options in the MCNP6v1 release were evaluated and compared to the measured magnitudes and temporal behavior of 233U, 235U, and 239Pu. Significant discrepancies observed between the DN model option and measurements for count times >100 s are discussed.