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This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
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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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High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
Faten N. Al Zubaidi, Kyle L. Walton, Robert V. Tompson, Tushar K. Ghosh, Sudarshan K. Loyalka
Nuclear Technology | Volume 205 | Number 7 | July 2019 | Pages 951-963
Regular Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1573618
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The total hemispherical emissivity of A508/A533B alloy steels was measured for conditions of interest in nuclear plant safety. The effect of long-term oxidation on the emissivity of A508/A533B was simulated by oxidizing test samples using a three-zone tube furnace at temperatures of 573 and 773 K. An apparatus built and operated in compliance with the American Society for Testing and Materials C835-06 testing standard was used to measure the total hemispherical emissivity for the following surface conditions: (1) mirror-like polished (unoxidized), (2) polished surface oxidized in air, (3) wire-cut electrical discharge machining (EDM), and (4) EDM-cut surface oxidized in air. The emissivity of polished (unoxidized) A508/A533B strips varied from 0.16 to 0.24 within the temperature range from 552 to 1180 K. Increasing the oxidation time of polished A508/A533B from 10 to 100 h at 573 K provided slight increase in emissivity, whereas increasing the oxidation temperature from 573 to 773 K for a 10-h duration provided over a threefold increase in emissivity. EDM-cut surfaces had an emissivity of 0.51 at 464 K to 0. 54 at 845 K due to the inherent roughness and the presence of a recast layer and possible oxidation layer. Oxidizing EDM-cut A508/A533B in air at 573 K increased the emissivity compared to the unoxidized EDM-cut A508/A533B, but no additional increase in emissivity occurred from 500- to 1000-h durations. Further oxidation of A508/A533B oxidized at 573 K for 1000 h for an additional 500 h at 773 K resulted in spallation of the oxide layer. The emissivity of the sample with loose oxide removed had similar emissivity for EDM-cut A508/A533B at 537 K.
