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Division Spotlight
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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
Liftoff report lifts the lid on cost and risk in push to nth-of-a-kind reactors
The Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Advanced Nuclear report that was released in March 2023 by the Department of Energy called for five to 10 signed reactor contracts for at least one reactor design by 2025. Now, 18 months have passed, and despite the word “resurgence” in media reports on the U.S. nuclear power industry, 2025 is fast approaching with no contracts signed.
V. D’Ambrosi, J. Sercombe, S. Bejaoui, A. Chaieb, B. Baurens, R. Largenton, A. Ambard, B. Boer, G. Bonny, M. Ševeček, L. E. Herranz, F. Feria Marquez, K. Inagaki, H. Ohta, F. Boldt, J. Sappl, R. Armstrong, A. Mohamad, Y. Udagawa, C. Cozzo, J. Klouzal, M. Vitezslav, J. Corson, J. Peltonen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 210 | Number 2 | February 2024 | Pages 189-215
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2023.2194270
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper presents the results of the Power To Melt and Maneuverability (P2M) Simulation Exercise on past fuel melting irradiation experiments, organized within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency Framework for IrraDiation ExperimentS (FIDES) framework by the Core Group (CEA, EDF, and SCK‧CEN) and open to all FIDES members. The exercise consisted in simulating two past power ramps where fuel melting was detected: (1) the xM3 staircase power transient [ramp terminal level (RTL) 70 kW‧m−1, average burnup 27 GWd‧tU−1], carried out in 2005 in the R2 reactor at Studsvik (Sweden), where the rodlet maintained its integrity, and (2) the HBC4 fast power transient (RTL 66 kW‧m−1, average burnup 48 GWd‧tU−1), carried out in 1987 in the BR2 reactor at SCK‧CEN (Belgium), where the cladding failed during the experiment. The exercise was joined by 13 organizations from 9 countries using 11 different fuel performance codes. In this paper, the main results of the Simulation Exercise are presented and compared to available postirradiation examinations (PIE) or on-line measurements during the power ramps (fuel and clad diameters, rod elongation, pellet-clad gap, and fission gas release). Since the focus of the Simulation Exercise is on fuel melting assessment, determination of the boundary between melted/nonmelted fuel and the consequent definition of a melting radius from PIE are first discussed. During the HBC4 ramp, fuel melting was predicted by most of the codes despite differences in the melting models. Higher discrepancies were observed for the xM3 rod that can be attributed partly to power uncertainty and partly to the limited capability of the models to describe partial melting of the fuel during this ramp. Finally, possible code developments to improve simulation results are presented.