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The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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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.
W. Breitung, S. A. Wright
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 105 | Number 4 | August 1990 | Pages 303-318
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE90-A21467
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Irradiated (U.Pu)-mixed oxide with 5% burnup was heated in the pulsed Annular Core Research Reactor at Sandia National Laboratories. The tests were typical of prompt Bethe-Tait excursions in terms of heating method (nuclear fission), heating period (milliseconds), and temperatures attained (up to 7700 K). Fission products provided high pressures at temperatures at which fresh fuel shows only a negligible vapor pressure. Fission product release became measurable as soon as the temperature exceeded the steady-state irradiation temperature of the fuel sample. The fission product pressures reached 1.3 to 2.5 MPa at 3000 K over solid fuel, and 2.5 to 5 MPa at 4000 K over liquid fuel. The total amount of fission product released corresponded to ∼30 to 75% of the fission gas inventory. The amount of fission product released increased with the fuel heating rate. Under rapid heating, the total pressure over irradiated (U,Pu) oxide is controlled by a suppression mechanism. At any given temperature, the gaseous components (xenon, cesium, and ambient gas) suppress fuel boiling if their pressure pgas is higher than the fresh fuel saturation vapor pressure psat of unirradiated fuel. If psat exceeds pgas, the total pressure is, to a first approximation, equal to Psat. Under millisecond heating, the total pressure from irradiated fuel may be taken as ptot = max(Pgas,Psat).