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Conference Spotlight
2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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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
IAEA again raises global nuclear power projections
Noting recent momentum behind nuclear power, the International Atomic Energy Agency has revised up its projections for the expansion of nuclear power, estimating that global nuclear operational capacity will more than double by 2050—reaching 2.6 times the 2024 level—with small modular reactors expected to play a pivotal role in this high-case scenario.
IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi announced the new projections, contained in the annual report Energy, Electricity, and Nuclear Power Estimates for the Period up to 2050 at the 69th IAEA General Conference in Vienna.
In the report’s high-case scenario, nuclear electrical generating capacity is projected to increase to from 377 GW at the end of 2024 to 992 GW by 2050. In a low-case scenario, capacity rises 50 percent, compared with 2024, to 561 GW. SMRs are projected to account for 24 percent of the new capacity added in the high case and for 5 percent in the low case.
T. J. Neubert, R. B. Lees
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 2 | Number 6 | November 1957 | Pages 748-767
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE57-A35490
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Fast neutron bombardment of graphite displaces carbon atoms to interstitial positions and produces lattice vacancies. Upon heating the interstitial disturbances become mobile, move to more stable positions and release stored energy. The thermal release of stored energy was investigated by relative specific heat measurements, which are described in detail. Data are presented which show the dependence of energy storage upon extent of neutron bombardment and upon temperature of bombardment. Activation energy spectra for the thermal release of stored energy are calculated. The general trends of the data are discussed. Estimates are made of the numbers of interstitial carbon atoms, interstitial carbon (C2) molecules, and lattice vacancies in a sample of low bombardment. It is suggested that annealing of irradiated graphite causes much of the interstitial material to reintegrate with the graphite lattice by filling lattice vacancies.
