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Division Spotlight
Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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
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Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ARPA-E announces $40 million to develop transmutation technologies for UNF
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel into less-radioactive substances. According to ARPA-E, the new initiative addresses one of the agency’s core goals as outlined by Congress: to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
S. C. Xiao, Jing Zhao, X. Heng, X. Y. Sheng, Z. Zhou, Y. Yang
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 68 | Number 3 | October 2015 | Pages 566-572
Technical Paper | Proceedings of TOFE-2014 | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-907
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this paper, an innovative natural uranium-thorium fuel fusion-fission hybrid reactor (FFHR) design aiming at closed thorium-uranium fuel cycle, and which could operate with high energy gain, fast 233U breeding rate and tritium self-sufficiency, is presented. The reactor consists of two main modules, i.e. natural uranium module and thorium module, which are placed alternately in the blanket’s toroidal direction. Uranium module plays the role of energy generation and neutron multiplication at the initial stage. Excess neutrons are then used to drive the thorium module to breed 233U. After the 233U inventory reaches a certain level, the uranium module is then replaced by new thorium fuel module. The system is transition to the all thorium fueled operating mode. With appropriately selected thorium fuel to water volumetric ratio, the system could then be started by the limited bred 233U. The blanket could reach thorium-uranium closed fuel cycle with high energy gain and tritium self-sufficiency. The system could burn up about 90 tonnes 232Th at the end of 60 years operating.