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60 Years of U: Perspectives on resources, demand, and the evolving role of nuclear energy
Recent years have seen growing global interest in nuclear energy and rising confidence in the sector. For the first time since the early 2000s, there is renewed optimism about the industry’s future. This change is driven by several major factors: geopolitical developments that highlight the need for secure energy supplies, a stronger focus on resilient energy systems, national commitments to decarbonization, and rising demand for clean and reliable electricity.
C. R. Richey, J. D. White, E. D. Clayton, R. C. Lloyd
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 23 | Number 2 | October 1965 | Pages 150-158
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE65-A28139
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Critical experiments were conducted with homogeneous mixtures of PuO2 - polystyrene (H:Pu atomic ratio of 15) containing both 2.2 and 8.0% Pu240. Criticality was determined for a series of Plexiglas reflected rectangular prisms ranging from near cubes, to long columns, and to thin slabs; bare arrays of near-cubic geometry were also studied. Critical thicknesses were 16.09 ± 0.41 and 5.99 ± 0.10 cm, respectively, for the bare and reflected infinite slabs of PuO2-polystyrene containing 2.2% Pu240. Corresponding values for the 8.0% Pu240 mixtures were 18.48 ± 0.41 and 7.38 ± 0.09 cm. The infinite slab thicknesses for an equivalent Pu239-water mixture (H:Pu = 15, ρ = 1.62 g Pu/cm3) were 11.66 ± 0.30 and 4.38 ± 0.08 cm, respectively, for the bare and water-reflected slabs. Corresponding critical radii for infinitely long cylinders were 10.52 ± 0.16 and 6.54 ± 0.14 cm; radii for critical spheres were 13.81 ± 0.16 and 10.40 ± 0.17 cm.