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Division Spotlight
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.
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.
D. L. Hollis
Nuclear Technology | Volume 10 | Number 3 | March 1971 | Pages 325-327
Technical Paper | Shielding | doi.org/10.13182/NT71-A30966
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A study is made of utilizing electron trapping in dielectrics as a means of reducing bremsstrahlung in spacecrafts at synchronous altitude. Traps retain electrons, and large internal electric fields are induced within the dielectric. Electrons penetrating the insulating material can lose most of their kinetic energy to the electric field with a subsequent decrease in energy loss to bremsstrahlung. This acts to reduce bremsstrahlung production. It also lowers the average radiation energy of that which is produced, with consequent increase in probability of absorption by the wall. Breakdown phenomenon causes the shielding effect of the trapped electrons to be cyclic. A thin layer of dielectric material on the external surface of a spacecraft should provide an effective, light, and inexpensive shield against bremsstrahlung while not interfering with any of the system functions. Electron-trap shielding is applicable not only to space, but wherever a dielectric-charge layer is allowed to accumulate.