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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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NECX debut: Shaping the next era of energy
The sold-out inaugural Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX) got off to a roaring start in Atlanta, Ga., Tuesday morning with an opening plenary that was a live highlight reel discussing the latest industry achievements.
Starting with a lively promo video that left the audience amped up for Entergy’s CEO and NEI chair Drew Marsh, who welcomed everyone to the event, hosted jointly by the American Nuclear Society and the Nuclear Energy Institute. He spoke to a full house of more than 1,300 attendees, promising a blend of science, technology, policy, and advocacy centered around the future of nuclear energy.
Robert J. Demuth, Anna L. D’Entremont, Rebecca Smith, Robert L. Sindelar, Travis W. Knight
Nuclear Technology | Volume 210 | Number 11 | November 2024 | Pages 2187-2203
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2312019
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuels, an (oxy)hydroxide layer on the surface of the cladding hosts chemisorbed water formed during reactor and post-discharge exposure to water. Any residual water is susceptible to generating hydrogen via radiolysis, which can be a risk associated with dry fuel storage. Engineering-scale forced helium dehydration (FHD) and vacuum drying tests were conducted on mock-up fuel assemblies that included corroded aluminum surrogate plates to assess the removal of bulk and chemisorbed water. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed on samples of the surrogate plates, both undried control samples used to determine onset temperatures associated with a phase change occurring in the oxide layer and samples from drying tests used to determine the effectiveness of each drying method. Both vacuum drying and FHD processes were capable of removing bulk water. However, FHD was determined to provide additional drying capabilities, including partial removal of chemisorbed water from bayerite due to the higher temperatures during drying. The temperature threshold for partial dehydroxylation of the oxide layer was determined to be around 220°C, meaning any drying methods attempting to remove chemisorbed water must exceed 220°C.