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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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Deep Space: The new frontier of radiation controls
In commercial nuclear power, there has always been a deliberate tension between the regulator and the utility owner. The regulator fundamentally exists to protect the worker, and the utility, to make a profit. It is a win-win balance.
From the U.S. nuclear industry has emerged a brilliantly successful occupational nuclear safety record—largely the result of an ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) process that has driven exposure rates down to what only a decade ago would have been considered unthinkable. In the U.S. nuclear industry, the system has accomplished an excellent, nearly seamless process that succeeds to the benefit of both employee and utility owner.
Naoki Yoshida, Takuya Ohno, Yuki Amano, Ryoichiro Yoshida, Hitoshi Abe, Yuichi Yamane
Nuclear Technology | Volume 210 | Number 10 | October 2024 | Pages 1999-2007
Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2306688
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A malfunction of the cooling system of high-level liquid waste (HLLW) and the failure of countermeasures may lead to the evaporation to dryness due to the loss of cooling functions (EDLCF) of the HLLW. In the EDLCF, ruthenium (Ru) can be released at a greater fraction to the initial amount than the other elements in HLLW by forming gaseous Ru. It is important to identify the chemical form of the released gaseous Ru to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the events impacting the source term assessment of Ru in this accident, such as particle formation, gas absorption, and deposition on migration pathways.
In this study, we observed the ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy of the off-gas generated during the heating of a HLLW simulant. Employing a program that allows for the separation and quantification of known components within the spectrum [ruthenium tetroxide (RuO4), nitrogen dioxide, and nitric acid], we attempted to analyze the composition of gaseous Ru within the generated off-gas. Our findings revealed RuO4 as the main component of the gaseous Ru in the off-gas after comparing the total amount of released Ru and the RuO4 released amount obtained via spectroscopic analysis.
