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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
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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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?
H. A. Kurstedt, Jr., G. H. Miley
Nuclear Technology | Volume 10 | Number 2 | February 1971 | Pages 168-178
Technical Paper and Note | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT71-A30924
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The technique of short-interval series pulsing a thermal reactor has been studied experimentally using the University of Illinois TRIGA Reactor. Pulse repetition rates varying from 0.5 to 3.0 pulses/min were involved. These rates represent an order of magnitude decrease in time interval between pulses compared to previous TRIGA pulsing experience. It was found that the equilibrium pulse amplitudes are strongly affected by the pulse rod reactivity, the rod drop time, and the time interval between pulses; and in the experiments, each of these parameters was maintained at a fixed value during any given series. A unique method of analysis involving the reactor kinetics equations solved in temperature has been developed to study series pulsing. This analysis shows that a further improvement by a factor of 2 to 5 for present reactor and fuel designs can be expected with certain techniques that do not require major modifications to reactor geometry or fuel. These include changing the pulse rod reactivity values between pulses, changing the time interval between pulses, increasing the rod drop reactivity, and series pulsing from elevated powers.