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Division Spotlight
Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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Latest News
Take steps on SNF and HLW disposal
Matt Bowen
With a new administration and Congress, it is time once again to ponder what will happen—if anything—on U.S. spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste management policy over the next few years. One element of the forthcoming discussion seems clear: The executive and legislative branches are eager to talk about recycling commercial SNF. Whatever the merits of doing so, it does not obviate the need for one or more facilities for disposal of remaining long-lived radionuclides. For that reason, making progress on U.S. disposal capabilities remains urgent, lest the associated radionuclide inventories simply be left for future generations to deal with.
In March, Rick Perry, who was secretary of energy during President Trump’s first administration, observed that during his tenure at the Department of Energy it became clear to him that any plan to move SNF “required some practical consent of the receiving state and local community.”1
Sungwhan Cho, Jin Jiang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 161 | Number 2 | February 2008 | Pages 98-107
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3916
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new technique for analyzing the effect of testing on shutdown system (SDS) number 1 (SDS1) in Canadian deuterium uranium (CANDU) nuclear power plants is proposed. The effect of the test on the core damage probability is quantified using a Markov process model. The model is used to derive the effect of the test frequency on the unavailability and the spurious reactor trip probability. Two core damage scenarios are considered: one from a process failure with the unavailable SDS and the other from a spurious reactor trip. The Markov process model is then used with the core damage scenarios to analyze the effect of the test frequency on the core damage probability. The quantified core damage probabilities indicate that performing more frequent surveillance tests does not necessarily decrease the risk. In fact, there exists an optimal test frequency beyond which the probability of core damage starts to increase. This optimal test frequency is of significance in practice.
