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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
TerraPower begins U.K. regulatory approval process
Seattle-based TerraPower signaled its interest this week in building its Natrium small modular reactor in the United Kingdom, the company announced.
TerraPower sent a letter to the U.K.’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, formally establishing its intention to enter the U.K. generic design assessment (GDA) process. This is TerraPower’s first step in deployment of its Natrium technology—a 345-MW sodium fast reactor coupled with a molten salt energy storage unit—on the international stage.
Sreenivas Jayanti, Richard N. Christensen, Nancy Yost, Chris Wang, David van Deusen, Don W. Miller
Nuclear Technology | Volume 79 | Number 1 | October 1987 | Pages 51-65
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT87-A16004
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The preliminary analysis of an inherently safe nuclear power plant is presented. The system, based on the state-of-the-art technology of light water and gas-cooled nuclear power plants, features a multicavity prestressed concrete vessel, which houses a reduced boiling water reactor (BWR)-6 core and heat exchangers. Steam with a quality of 16.5 % at a pressure of 7.24 MPa (1050 psia) at the core exit flows through steam generators and preheaters arranged symmetrically around the core. The flow is maintained by natural circulation. Two turbine-generator-pump sets replace the high- and low-pressure injection systems as the emergency core cooling systems. The secondary system operates at a maximum pressure of 5.03 MPa (730 psia) and is rated at 1000 MW(thermal). The use of a prestressed concrete reactor vessel for ducting and containment and the replacement of forced recirculation with natural recirculation on the primary side significantly improve the inherent safety of the plant. The availability of a large thermal inventory on the primary side and the elimination of many engineered safety systems present in current BWR/pressurized water reactors should considerably simplify the operating procedures. It is expected that the modular design of the heat exchangers and the small size of the plant will reduce construction time and make it cost-effective.