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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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Deep Space: The new frontier of radiation controls
In commercial nuclear power, there has always been a deliberate tension between the regulator and the utility owner. The regulator fundamentally exists to protect the worker, and the utility, to make a profit. It is a win-win balance.
From the U.S. nuclear industry has emerged a brilliantly successful occupational nuclear safety record—largely the result of an ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) process that has driven exposure rates down to what only a decade ago would have been considered unthinkable. In the U.S. nuclear industry, the system has accomplished an excellent, nearly seamless process that succeeds to the benefit of both employee and utility owner.
P. J. Peterson and M. M. Thorpe
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 29 | Number 3 | September 1967 | Pages 425-431
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE67-A17291
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Measurements of the rate of uranium atom emission from a fissioning surface were made on uranium and uranium oxide sources. A technique was employed in which the sources could be maintained in vacuuo at all times during the experiments. It was found that at the start of an experiment the rate of emission was high, but declined with increasing reactor exposure to a low constant value of ≈6 uranium atoms ejected per fission fragment penetrating the surface for the metal and ≈38 for the oxide. Exposure of a uranium metal source to moist helium, after a constant emission rate was achieved, led to a suddenly increased rate that tended to return to that obtaining before treatment.