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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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
Three nations, three ways to recycle plastic waste with nuclear technology
Plastic waste pollutes oceans, streams, and bloodstreams. Nations in Asia and the Pacific are working with the International Atomic Energy Agency through the Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics) initiative to tackle the problem. Launched in 2020, NUTEC Plastics is focused on using nuclear technology to both track the flow of microplastics and improve upstream plastic recycling before discarded plastic can enter the ecosystem. Irradiation could target hard-to-recycle plastics and the development of bio-based plastics, offering sustainable alternatives to conventional plastic products and building a “circular economy” for plastics, according to the IAEA.
T. Wakabayashi, Y. Hachiya
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 63 | Number 3 | July 1977 | Pages 292-305
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE77-A27041
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The thermal-neutron behavior in a highly heterogeneous cluster-type plutonium fuel lattice has been studied through the measurements of the dysprosium reaction-rate distribution in a unit cell covering three plutonium fuel elements, four coolant voids, and two lattice pitches. The study included comparison with the results obtained with UO2 fuel. A new technique for locating the foils has been developed, resulting in an accurate measurement of the thermal-neutron flux distribution. Depression of the thermal-neutron flux in the fuel region is larger in the plutonium fuel lattice than in the uranium lattice because thermal-neutron absorption in the plutonium fuel is enhanced by the resonances of 239Pu and 241Pu at 0.3 eV. In addition, the 1/v cross section of plutonium is larger than that of uranium. This property of the plutonium fuel appears markedly at 100% void fraction, but less at 0% because this property is weakened by the presence of H2O coolant. The results of calculations obtained by means of the LAMP-DCA code showed good agreement with experimentally determined data within 5%.
