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Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
Quanwen Wu, Wenhua Luo, Xiayan Yan, Jingwen Ba, Zhenhua Zheng, Zhiyong Huang, Jinchun Bao, Danling Dai, Daqiao Meng
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 73 | Number 1 | January 2018 | Pages 50-58
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1368335
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Tritium must be strictly defended in tritium systems because of its permeability and radioactivity. Detritiation devices are required in tritium systems, such as the glove box detritiation system, the vent detritiation system, and the air detritiation system in ITER. The method of catalytic oxidation and adsorption is widely used for air detritiation, and metal gas getter is used in glove box detritiation. Here, a Ce-based oxide-loaded honeycomb catalyst is prepared as a multifunctional detritiation catalyst. The properties of the Ce-based oxide and catalyst are characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2-adsorption/desorption (Brunauer-Emmet-Teller method), and H2 temperature programmed reduction. The catalytic performance is tested under both O2-lean and O2-rich atmospheres. Results indicate that the Pt/Ce0.7Zr0.3O2 honeycomb catalyst fully oxidizes H2 at room temperature with high space velocity (3.2 × 104 h−1) when oxygen is sufficient. When oxygen is deficient, H2 is also fully oxidized by the catalyst at 200°C, with the oxygen supplying from the support. A detritiation test using tritium as reactant is also carried out, and the results verify the feasibility for detritiation application. An improved detritiation reactor is designed and built based on the multifunctional catalyst.