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Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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.
Robert S. Brundage, Bill G. Motes, Preston Gant
Nuclear Technology | Volume 11 | Number 3 | July 1971 | Pages 400-405
Technical Paper | Nuclear Explosion Engineering / Nuclear Explosive | doi.org/10.13182/NT71-A30874
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A system has been developed and tested for continuously monitoring a natural gas stream for the beta activity of both tritium and 85Kr. The system uses a proportional counter whose sensitive volume is limited to about 24% of the total volume by a set of four separate cathode frameworks. This feature avoids a buildup of background activity due to the daughter products of 222Rn, which tend to plate out in insensitive regions of the counter. Appropriate pressure, temperature, and flow controls are provided to operate the system either in the static or flowing mode. In the latter, the residence time of the counting gas is about ten minutes. An 55Fe source (5.9-keV 55Mn x rays) is used for calibrating system gain. Output pulses from diagonally opposed anodes are summed separately, amplified, and processed by pulse height analysis and coincidence circuitry to provide upper and lower energy logic pulse outputs. Optimum discriminator levels are chosen to exclude pulses due to tritium events from the upper energy channel but to include therein a substantial fraction of pulses due to 85Kr events. Calibration constants and pulse distribution factors are determined for operating conditions of pressure (2.75 bars, 40 psia), temperature (38°C), and gain in the presence of the sample gas by dilution with standard gases made with commercial grade CH4 having known specific activities of either tritium or 85Kr. The system threshold (two sigma) for detection of either tritium or 85Kr has been determined to be about 2 × 10−3 pCi/cm3 in the absence of 222Rn and a factor of 3 greater with typical concentrations of 222Rn. For comparison, the radioactivity concentration guides (in air) are 3 × 10−1 pCi/cm3 for 85Kr and 2 × 10−1 pCi/cm3 for tritium. Estimates are given for the threshold for detection of either activity, tritium or 85Kr, in the presence of the other, 10% of the 85Kr activity for tritium and a few percent of the tritium activity for 85Kr.