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Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
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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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Securing the advanced reactor fleet
Physical protection accounts for a significant portion of a nuclear power plant’s operational costs. As the U.S. moves toward smaller and safer advanced reactors, similar protection strategies could prove cost prohibitive. For tomorrow’s small modular reactors and microreactors, security costs must remain appropriate to the size of the reactor for economical operation.
Ashok K. Ghosh, Kerry J. Howe, Arup K. Maji, Bruce C. Letellier, Russell C. Jones
Nuclear Technology | Volume 157 | Number 2 | February 2007 | Pages 196-207
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3812
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper examines the generation and effect of secondary materials created by chemical reactions between dislodged fiberglass insulation debris and simulated cooling system water that would be present within the containment of a pressurized water reactor following a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). Corrosion and subsequent precipitation of metals (aluminum, iron, zinc, and calcium) pose an important safety concern because the surface area of exposed metal inside containment represents a large potential source term of chemical debris products that may be capable of blocking the recirculation sump. The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) cited the presence of gelatinous material recovered from the Three Mile Island containment pool after its 1979 accident and noted that the formation of adverse chemical products had not been previously examined under Generic Safety Issue 191 (GSI-191) research program.Based on small-scale tests, the following key issues related to corrosion and precipitation were investigated:1. Do credible corrosion mechanisms exist for leaching metal ions from bulk solid surfaces, and if so, what are the typical reaction rate constants?2. Can corrosion products accumulate in the containment pool water to the extent that they might precipitate as new chemical species at pH and temperature levels that are relevant to the LOCA accident sequence?3. How do chemical precipitants affect the head loss across an existing fibrous debris bed?Findings from these tests confirmed that corrosion of metal can occur and that artificially induced metallic precipitants can cause substantial additional head loss.