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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
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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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August 2024
Latest News
New laws offer nuclear industry incentives for existing power plant uprates
This year, the U.S. nuclear industry received a much-needed economic boost that could help preserve operating nuclear power plants and incentivize upgrades that extend their lifespan and power output.
Signed into law in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act offers production tax credits (PTCs) for existing nuclear power plants and either PTCs or investment tax credits (ITCs) for new carbon-free generation. These credits could make power uprates—increasing the maximum power level at which a commercial plant may operate—a much more appealing option for utilities.
P. E. Reagan, R. L. Beatty, E. L. Long, Jr.
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 28 | Number 1 | April 1967 | Pages 34-41
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE67-A18664
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Fuel particles coated with pyrolytic carbon are contemplated for use in several high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. This paper describes the performance of pyrolytic carbon-coated, high-density, uranium oxide particles irradiated at 1300 to 1600°C. The fission-gas release, burnups, and temperatures for five experiments are given. Coated particles with a builtin gap between the fuel and the inner laminar coating began to show evidence of failure by releasing bursts of fission gas after 27.9% uranium burnup, and postirradiation examination revealed delamination of the inner coating. Coated particles made with a porous carbon buffer layer between the fuel and an isotropic coating showed no evidence of failure by fission-gas release, and showed no damage due to irradiation when examined by metallography. Coated particles with neither gap nor buffer, but with a low-density inner coating applied directly to the fuel, retained fission gas successfully but showed enlargement of cracks that had formed at the fuel-coating interface during the coating process. The oxide particles did not flow at high burnup and expand into voids and cracks as the carbide particles did, and the oxide did not diffuse into the carbon coating at high temperatures.