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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.
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Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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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
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.
Blair P. Bromley, Geoffrey W. R. Edwards, Pranavan Sambavalingam
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 182 | Number 3 | March 2016 | Pages 263-286
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE15-19
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Lattice and core physics modeling and calculations have been performed to quantify the impact of power/flux levels and power history on the reactivity and achievable burnup for 35-element fuel bundles made with thorium-based fuels, such as (Pu,Th)O2 and (233U,Th)O2. These bundles are designed to produce on the order of 20 MWd/kg burnup in homogeneous cores in a 700-MW(electric)–class pressure-tube heavy water reactor, operating on a once-through thorium cycle. Methods have been developed to model time-dependent power histories in lattice physics calculations that are more consistent with core physics analysis results. Results demonstrate that the impact of power/flux level and the modeling of time-dependent power histories on the core power distributions and achievable fuel burnup are modest for Pu/Th fuels but are more significant for 233U/Th fuels. Thus, to reduce the neutron capture rate in 233Pa and to increase fuel burnup and fissile utilization, there may be an incentive to develop solutions to reduce the time-average specific power in the fuel.