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Division Spotlight
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.
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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May 2025
Nuclear Technology
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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.
C. L. Fitzgerald, H. W. Godbee, R. E. Blanco, W. Davis, Jr.
Nuclear Technology | Volume 9 | Number 6 | December 1970 | Pages 821-829
Radioactive Waste | doi.org/10.13182/NT70-A28714
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Residues from aqueous and organic intermediate- level radioactive waste can be incorporated in asphalt or polyethylene to reduce the mobility of radionuclides after burial or storage of the solidified waste product. Asphalt or polyethylene products containing up to 60 wt% of nonoxidizing inorganic solids have a chemical resistance similar to that of pure asphalt or polyethylene. Leach rates projected over 200 years indicate that ~5% of a soluble element (sodium or cesium) or 0.6% of an insoluble nuclide (106Ru) would be leached from a 55-gal drum of product submerged in water. Polyethylene accommodated up to 40 wt% of organic liquids, such as tributyl phosphate (TBP), while asphalt products containing 25% TBP were not entirely satisfactory. Polyethylene products were also superior to asphalt products in flammability and radiation stability tests. Incorporation in asphalt is not recommended for waste solids containing significant amounts of oxidants.
