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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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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February 2025
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Latest News
Reboot: Nuclear needs a success . . . anywhere
The media have gleefully resurrected the language of a past nuclear renaissance. Beyond the hype and PR, many people in the nuclear community are taking a more measured view of conditions that could lead to new construction: data center demand, the proliferation of new reactor designs and start-ups, and the sudden ascendance of nuclear energy as the power source everyone wants—or wants to talk about.
Once built, large nuclear reactors can provide clean power for at least 80 years—outlasting 10 to 20 presidential administrations. Smaller reactors can provide heat and power outputs tailored to an end user’s needs. With all the new attention, are we any closer to getting past persistent supply chain and workforce issues and building these new plants? And what will the election of Donald Trump to a second term as president mean for nuclear?
As usual, there are more questions than answers, and most come down to money. Several developers are engaging with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or have already applied for a license, certification, or permit. But designs without paying customers won’t get built. So where are the customers, and what will it take for them to commit?
B. E. Leonard
Nuclear Technology | Volume 11 | Number 2 | June 1971 | Pages 159-174
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT71-A30881
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Fuchs-Nordheim model is extended to develop an approximate solution for reactor excursion analysis that includes delayed neutrons and nonadiabatic systems. Division of the time domain allows a superposition of the prompt burst power as predicted by the Fuchs-Nordheim solution and the delayed-neutron tail power. The solutions are applicable to reactor excursions of $1.00 or above up to the time the physical or nuclear dynamic properties are changed (such as by moderator expulsion or core meltdown) or when space-time effects dominate. Time-dependent relations are obtained for both reactor power and energy generated. The initial delayed-neutron-tail power is shown to be nearly independent of pulse size. Experimental time-dependent measurements of TRIGA pulses from $1.00 to $3.21 are reported and compared; peak power and energy generated to peak power are provided. Time-dependent excursion data for the HPPR and TREAT reactors are also compared with predictions of this theory. Theoretical results are provided with figures of reactor power and total energy generated for application to excursions with minimum periods from 0.002 to 1.0 sec for reactor systems with 233U, 235U, and 239Pu fuels.