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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.
R. A. Knief, B. W. Wehring, M. E. Wyman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 53 | Number 1 | January 1974 | Pages 47-60
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE74-A23329
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Absolute measurements were made for the equilibrium and time-dependent beta-ray energy spectra from fission fragments produced by spontaneous fission of 252Cf. The beta rays were detected by a plastic scintillator and the fission rate was monitored by a semiconductor detector. The equilibrium spectrum was measured from a 252 Cf source permanently encapsulated between two Mylar foils thick enough to stop the fragments. The time-dependent measurements used a 252Cf source supported on a thin nickel foil and covered with a thin collodion foil. Virtually all fragments from this second source escaped the foils. By use of a special transport system, the time dependence of the 252Cf beta-ray energy spectrum was measured for two cases: (a) buildup of the spectrum following initiation of fragment collection on clean catcher foils, and (b) decay of the spectrum following a period of fragment collection. The measured spectra were corrected for energy resolution effects by unfolding them with the use of a measured system response function. The measured data were used to generate empirical expressions for the equilibrium and time-dependent beta-ray spectra from 252 Cf fission fragments. The total number of beta rays from one fission was estimated to be 6.7 ± 0.3, while the total beta-ray energy was estimated to be 6.1 ± 0.5 MeV. The results of the measurements were compared with the analogous measurements for thermal-neutron fission of 235U. High-energy transitions (5 to 10 MeV) found for 235U fission were not found for 252Cf fission.