ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference 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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
July 2025
Latest News
DOE issues new NEPA rule and procedures—and accelerates DOME reactor testing
Meeting a deadline set in President Trump’s May 23 executive order “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy,” the DOE on June 30 updated information on its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rulemaking and implementation procedures and published on its website an interim final rule that rescinds existing regulations alongside new implementing procedures.
Yang Hong Jung, Hee Moon Kim
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 12 | December 2021 | Pages 1842-1850
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1845057
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This study characterizes a failed discharged fuel rod with 53 000 MWd/tonne U from a nuclear power plant in Korea. Chalk River Unidentified Deposits (CRUD) and the oxide layer were observed using an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA, SX-50 R, CAMECA, France) with wavelength dispersive (X-ray) spectroscopy. A normally irradiated cladding specimen was analyzed for comparison with the failed fuel rod. The analysis revealed an oxide layer with a thickness of about 10 μm and double-stratified agglomerates of CRUD species shapes. In contrast, sound fuel rods irradiated under conditions similar to failed fuel showed clusters in which Fe, Ni, and Cr were distributed. The main elements constituting the CRUD material, notably Ni and Fe, were located in the same position. Moreover, the thickness of the oxidized layer of the failed fuel rod was found to be significantly different from the thickness of the sound fuel rod.
Consequently, EPMA techniques offer the possibility of identifying and analyzing the CRUD phases and segregations in spent pressurized water reactor fuel. Although phases and segregations are small in terms of the amount expected to be present in background radiation, they nevertheless present a significant analytical challenge.