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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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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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.
L. J. Mullins, J. A. Leary
Nuclear Technology | Volume 6 | Number 4 | April 1969 | Pages 287-297
Technical Papers and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT69-A28336
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The successful utilization of 238Pu as a biomedical radioisotopic power source requires that the external radiation of 238Pu be understood quantitatively and kept to a minimum. To achieve these objectives 238Pu metal (80 at.% 238Pu) of high chemical purity has been prepared and characterized. An electrorefining process was developed to prepare the metal on a 1-cm3 scale. The neutron emission rate of three lots of electrorefined metal was 2446 (±30) n/sec per gram Pu. Correcting this measured rate for chemical impurities and fast fission gives a spontaneous fission rate of 2234 n/sec per gram Pu, or 2800 n/sec per gram of 238Pu. Neutron and gamma dose rates were also measured. Plutonium-238-gallium alloy, 238PuO2, and 238PuN were prepared and evaluated as radioisotopic heat sources.
