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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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
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July 2025
Latest News
The U.S. Million Person Study of Low-Dose-Rate Health Effects
There is a critical knowledge gap regarding the health consequences of exposure to radiation received gradually over time. While there is a plethora of studies on the risks of adverse outcomes from both acute and high-dose exposures, including the landmark study of atomic bomb survivors, these are not characteristic of the chronic exposure to low-dose radiation encountered in occupational and public settings. In addition, smaller cohorts have limited numbers leading to reduced statistical power.
Koichiro Omura
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 5 | May 2025 | Pages 863-888
Review Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2368960
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station Unit 5 is an advanced boiling water reactor with a generating capacity of 1.38 GW. It was shut down on May 14, 2011 at the request of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Seawater contaminated the equipment in a wide range of locations. We promptly cleaned up the reactor water and conducted an impact assessment and integrity evaluation of the equipment. The contamination areas were mainly categorized into the reactor pressure vessel and reactor internals, which are difficult to inspect and replace, and other peripheral facilities, which are relatively easy to inspect and replace.
The inspection results showed that discoloration, thinning, and adhesions due to corrosion were found in a wide range of other peripheral facilities. Basically, the minor corroded components could be removed by maintenance, so they were not considered to have an impact on the functionality of the reactor. Whereas many of the pressure vessels and reactor internals are difficult to replace, and we are currently collecting knowledge on the effects of high-temperature operation during the restart of the reactors. A large amount of seawater contamination in a nuclear reactor facility is a rare event, and this paper mainly describes the effects of seawater on the components.