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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
T. J. Downar, J. A. Stillman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 94 | Number 3 | November 1986 | Pages 241-250
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE86-A17267
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A model is developed to generate homogenized, two-group cross-section data for pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel assemblies loaded with burnable absorbers by explicitly incorporating the effects of the neutron poison into the unpoisoned group constants. This provides the calculational freedom to use the assembly burnable absorber loading as an independent variable in dynamic search methods for optimizing low-leakage PWR core reloads. To achieve an accuracy of better than 0.2% in the assembly k∞, separate consideration is given to the absorption and scattering perturbations, as well as to the spectrum-hardening effects caused by the presence of burnable absorbers in the assembly. The model was validated first by comparison of unit assembly cross sections to data from reference calculations and then by use of the model in the Electric Power Research Institute nodal code SIMULATE-E and comparison to reference core power distributions.