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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.
Michaël Petit
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 195 | Number 8 | August 2021 | Pages 864-876
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2020.1867436
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Concrete plays a major role in nuclear facilities as protection against radiation. However, its chemical composition, which is fundamental, is often unknown. Several concrete samples, extracted from the AMANDE-MIRCOM Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) facility, were analyzed. Various simulations were performed in order to evaluate the neutron fluence behind a 40-cm-thick concrete wall. These simulations were compared to experimental measurements performed with a Bonner sphere spectrometer and a neutron survey meter. No set of parameters tested was able to produce a simulation accurately matching all the experimental results, but sensitivity studies on several parameters highlight that the three most sensitive parameters are the hydrogen content, the density, and the concrete inhomogeneity. To improve the agreement between the simulations and the measurements, the concrete inhomogeneity modeling should be studied further. Nevertheless, using concrete compositions that are close to reality, especially for hydrogen content, is crucial to correctly simulate neutron transport.