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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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
Yang Hong Jung, Seung Je Baik, Young Gwan Jin
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 1 | January 2021 | Pages 94-102
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1738795
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A radioactive corrosion product, Chalk River unidentified deposit (crud) was sampled and analyzed using an electron probe micro-analyzer with zinc-injected spent nuclear fuel rods (HU Unit 1, actual burnup 49 655 MWd/tonne U). Hot-cell facilities, a space for handling highly radioactive materials, were used as a way to collect crud deposited in the fuel rod cladding tube at a specific location of the spent fuel rod. A soft collection method for collecting crud using rubbings or adhesive tape was used to collect a sample, and a sample was collected with hard collection using a steel knife from the cladding tube of the fuel rod. The spent fuel rods were used for two cycles burned after zinc was injected into the primary coolant, which is known to inhibit the generation of crud. To compare the analysis results of the soft and hard collection methods for sampling crud, the results of the crud collected using an ultrasonic wave system were analyzed. The crud used in this study used burned fuel rods for two cycles after zinc ions were injected into the primary coolant. Based on the results, the Ni/Fe ratio can be estimated to be about 1.18. The Ni/Fe ratio value of 1.18 derived from this study is not much different from the Ni/Fe ratio values derived from nuclear power plants operating around the world.