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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
May 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Sam Altman steps down as Oklo board chair
Advanced nuclear company Oklo Inc. has new leadership for its board of directors as billionaire Sam Altman is stepping down from the position he has held since 2015. The move is meant to open new partnership opportunities with OpenAI, where Altman is CEO, and other artificial intelligence companies.
Li Sangang, Cheng Yi, Wang Lei, Yang Li, Liu Huan, Liao Jiawei, Zeng Liyang, Luo Yong, Wang Xiaoyu, Pei Qiuyan, Wang Jie
Nuclear Technology | Volume 204 | Number 2 | November 2018 | Pages 195-202
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2018.1474704
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In situ radiation measurements are commonly used to detect radioactive material in luggage; at border control checkpoints; for in-field monitoring; during the illicit transfer of nuclear material; and at radioactive contamination sites, e.g., the Fukushima nuclear accident site. In considering the high brightness, fast decay time, and good energy resolution of cerium-doped lanthanum bromide [LaBr3(Ce)] scintillation detectors, this work conducted an experimental analysis aimed at evaluating the potential for applying LaBr3(Ce) detectors to in situ artificial radiation measurements. The effect of the intrinsic radiation of the LaBr3(Ce) detector was investigated. In addition, the intrinsic radiation contribution to the background radiation of the region of interest (ROI) under full-energy peaks for several artificial point sources and the minimum detectable activity (MDA) values of a 3 × 3-in. LaBr3(Ce) detector for several artificial radioactive point sources under unshielded (in the natural background) and well-shielded (in a low background chamber) conditions were calculated. The results indicate that the intrinsic radiation has a significant effect on the background radiation of the ROI especially when the full-energy peaks of several artificial point sources are located in the low-energy region or near 789 and 1400 keV. In addition, the MDAs (the measured time is 300 s) of the LaBr3(Ce) detector for 152Eu (121.78 keV), 133Ba (356 keV), 137Cs (661.7 keV), and 60Co (1332.5 keV) were 218.2, 63.6, 61.3, and 59.6 Bq, respectively, under unshielded conditions and 111.4, 39.1, 46.1, and 38.6 Bq, respectively, under well-shielded conditions. The intrinsic radiation also has some effects on the MDA of the LaBr3(Ce) detector, especially in the low-energy region. Thus, the drawback of its intrinsic radiation limits its application to in situ weak artificial radiation measurements, but LaBr3(Ce) detectors have the potential for use in medium- and high-radiation measurements due to the better energy resolution of these detectors than NaI(Tl) detectors.
