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Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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
Norway’s Halden reactor takes first step toward decommissioning
The government of Norway has granted the transfer of the Halden research reactor from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) to the state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND). The 25-MWt Halden boiling water reactor operated from 1958 to 2018 and was used in the research of nuclear fuel, reactor internals, plant procedures and monitoring, and human factors.
William S. Charlton, William D. Stanbro, R. T. Perry, Bryan L. Fearey
Nuclear Technology | Volume 128 | Number 3 | December 1999 | Pages 285-299
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT99-A3032
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has developed a system for determining 237Np, 241Am, and 243Am concentrations in spent fuel from measurements of the 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratio using calculations performed with the HELIOS lattice-physics code. Benchmark calculations for several pressurized water reactors (PWRs) were performed and compared to measured values from the literature for fuels with burnups ranging from 0 to 50 000 MWd/tonne U. A direct correlation can be found between the 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratio and the higher-actinide concentrations for each fuel type. Comparisons of calculated with measured values suggests that the LANL technique would yield 237Np and 241Am concentrations within ±5% and 243Am concentrations within ±15% for PWRs. Expanding this system for all reprocessing applications will require more measured data (especially for boiling water reactors and VVER-type reactors), but the existing results show a marked improvement over the previous ORIGEN calculations. Also, a better determination of the 243Am concentrations may support a greater confidence in the calculated results or suggest an alteration to the existing nuclear data. The present state of these neutronics calculations suggests that the technology exists to reduce the need for direct measurement of the 237Np, 241Am, and 243Am concentrations in spent fuel.