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The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
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Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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Norway’s Halden reactor takes first step toward decommissioning
The government of Norway has granted the transfer of the Halden research reactor from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) to the state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND). The 25-MWt Halden boiling water reactor operated from 1958 to 2018 and was used in the research of nuclear fuel, reactor internals, plant procedures and monitoring, and human factors.
Penzhorn R.-D., Berndt U., Kirste E., Hellriegel W., Jung W., Pejsa R., Romer O.
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 28 | Number 3 | October 1995 | Pages 723-731
Tritium Processing | Proceedings of the Fifth Topical Meeting on Tritium Technology in Fission, Fusion, and Isotopic Applications Belgirate, Italy May 28-June 3, 1995 | doi.org/10.13182/FST95-A30490
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During commissioning of the PETRA facility all components were tested singly and sequentially using hydrogen isotopes (incl. up to 1.3 g tritium as DT) and relevant impurities. The operation of the facility in conjunction with the required infrastructure systems of the Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK) was also demonstrated. To characterize the PETRA PdAg permeator hydrogen break-through curves for H2, De2 and DT as well as He break-through curves for various H2/D2/He gas mixtures were determined at 300 and 400 °C. A suitable method was developed to verify the mechanical integrity of the permeator during runs with tritium. The H2 and D2 permeation losses into the isolation vacuum of the permeator were quantified and compared with model calculations. Hydrogen permeation into the isolation vacuum could be kept at levels low enough to permit an undisturbed continuous operation of the permeator using a ZrCo tritium storage vessel. All pumps and pump combinations were examined with respect to the achievable vacua and compression ratios employing relevant gases and their mixtures. Loop-integrated infrared analysis of high signal and background stability is used to verify the integrity of the permeator and to study the possible occurrence of radiochemical reactions in the gas phase. It was shown that the ZrCo tritium storage vessel of the PETRA facility can be employed avantageously for the handling of tritium when used in combination with a Normetex scroll pump (18 m3/h)/Siemens metal bellows double stage compressor pump sequence. With this combination it is possible to extract at < 320 °C > 98 % of the hydrogen isotopes from the ZrCo storage vessel with a) negligible permeation losses, b) without the danger of disproportionation of the intermetallic compound and c) with minimization of the tritium inventory in the facility.