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Division Spotlight
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.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2025
Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
R. Pampin, A. Cubi, N. Taylor, M. Fabbri, P. Martinez-Albertos, P. Sauvan, Y. LeTonqueze
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 8 | November 2024 | Pages 1012-1023
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2278375
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Photoneutrons may be generated in beryllium by energetic gamma rays via the reaction 9Be(γ,n)8Be. In ITER, the beryllium layer of the first wall may be the source of such photoneutrons. During plasma operation, these are of insignificant intensity compared with D-T neutrons from the plasma, but after shutdown, photoneutrons produced by decay gammas from neutron-activated material may be significant enough to impact sensitive electronic components in diagnostic or remote handling equipment that would not otherwise be exposed to neutrons.
Studies have been performed to characterize the expected photoneutron source and to evaluate the fluxes arising in detailed three-dimensional models of the ITER tokamak. The results show photoneutron fluxes approaching 105 n/cm2·s within the vessel and up to 103 n/cm2·s elsewhere within the bioshield 14 days after shutdown. When first-wall panels are being transported to the Hot Cell Facility after irradiation, a photoneutron flux exceeding 104 n/cm2·s within the transfer cask is predicted 21 days after shutdown. The peak values in the surrounding building are between 102 and 103 n/cm2·s at the same time.