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Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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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Latest News
College students help develop waste-measuring device at Hanford
A partnership between Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) and Washington State University has resulted in the development of a device to measure radioactive and chemical tank waste at the Hanford Site. WRPS is the contractor at Hanford for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management.
Ryan M. Meyer, Samuel W. Glass, Gerges Dib, Morris S. Good, Surajit Roy, Judith M. Cuta (PNNL), Ash Thakker (Global Technology Connection, Inc.)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 512-517
This work focuses specifically on methods for detecting water inside of dry cask storage systems (DCSSs). Ideally, the environment inside of a DCSS confinement is inert and free of water to prevent potential corrosion of used fuel cladding or other internal hardware. However, there is some uncertainty about the amount of residual water potentially left behind in a DCSS as a result of drying processes, and assumptions about the possible quantities of residual water or its potential significance have not yet been corroborated with field experience for periods of extended storage. Considering the complex spatial and time-dependent temperature profiles in dry storage casks, water may be in liquid or gas phase depending on where it is located in the cask and how long the cask has been in storage. This paper describes some concepts and presents initial feasibility assessments for sensing liquid and gas phase water in vertically and horizontally oriented dry storage casks with transducers mounted exterior to the confinement boundary. The feasibility of detecting small amounts of liquid water inside of vertically and horizontally oriented dry storage canisters with externally mounted sensors was demonstrated empirically with laboratory measurements. The feasibility analysis for gas phase water indicates that gas phase water may be detected in the fill gas at concentration levels of approximately 4000 ppm to 7000 ppm (2 to 3.5 moles).