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Division Spotlight
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
Meeting Spotlight
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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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Latest News
Senate committee hears from energy secretary nominee Chris Wright
Wright
Chris Wright, president-elect Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy, spent hours today fielding questions from members of the U.S. Senate’s committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
During the hearing, Wright—who’s spent most of his career in fossil fuels—made comments in support of nuclear energy and efforts to expand domestic generation in the near future. Asked what actions he would take as energy secretary to improve the development and deployment of SMRs, Wright said: “It’s a big challenge, and I’m new to government, so I can’t list off the five levers I can pull. But (I’ve been in discussions) about how to make it easier to research, to invest, to build things. The DOE has land at some of its facilities that can be helpful in this regard.”
J. T. Mihalczo, W. T. King, E. D. Blakeman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 95 | Number 1 | January 1987 | Pages 1-13
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE87-A20428
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experiments performed with two coupled uranium (93.16 wt% 235U) metal cylinders (17.77-cm o.d., 5.08 cm thick) are the first application to coupled systems of the 252Cf-source-driven neutron noise analysis method for obtaining the subcritical neutron multiplication factor. These coaxial cylinders were separated axially by various thicknesses of either air or borated plaster between the flat surfaces. In all measurements, the 252Cf neutron source was located at the center of the outer flat surface of one cylinder, and the two detectors were located in three configurations: (a) both adjacent to the radial surface of the cylinder with the source, (b) both detectors adjacent to the radial surface of the cylinder without the source, and (c) one detector adjacent to the radial surface of each cylinder. A ratio of spectral densities obtained with the source and detectors adjacent to the cylinder with the source can be interpreted using point kinetics to obtain the subcritical neutron multiplication factor. However, when the source and detectors are placed on different cylinders, a coupled kinetics model is required to interpret the ratio of spectral densities. The cross-power spectral densities between detector and source positioned on different cylinders depend on the neutronic coupling and approach zero as the coupling does. By comparing the subcriticality from the measurements performed with borated plaster separating the uranium cylinders to those separated by air, it was found that the neutron multiplication factor was always increased by the insertion of borated plaster between the cylinders, regardless of their separation.