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Division Spotlight
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
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Zhendong Liu, Raymond S. Dickson, Lawrence W. Dickson, Zoran Bilanovic, David S. Cox
Nuclear Technology | Volume 131 | Number 1 | July 2000 | Pages 22-35
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3102
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A direct-electric-heating (DEH) apparatus was developed to heat Zircaloy-sheathed irradiated fuel samples. The apparatus was used in the temperature gradient 1 (TG1) experiment to measure fission product releases from Zircaloy-sheathed irradiated Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) UO2 fuel samples during fast temperature ramps in the presence of a radial temperature gradient in the fuel. The ohmic heating of the UO2, combined with surface heat removal by the surrounding helium coolant flow, produced a radial temperature profile that approximates the profile for fission- or decay-heated fuel.The 11 tests conducted in the TG1 experiment simulated various transient heating rates and high-temperature annealing conditions. The results indicate that the DEH technique can produce large radial temperature gradients and rapid heating rates. Ceramographic examinations showed columnar grain growth and evidence of UO2 melting. Chemical interactions between the tungsten electrodes and the UO2 were also observed. Releases of krypton, and release and redistribution of cesium were measured. Fission product release and redistribution results from some of the tests are also reported.The Kr measurements indicated that the amount of Kr released was highly dependent upon the peak dwell power: The higher the dwell power, the higher the cumulative release. The redistribution of cesium was mapped using emission gamma radiography of the fuel specimen after the test. Cesium was released from the center of the fuel sample where temperatures were the highest. A well-defined area was confirmed near the center where the Cs activity was depleted. The measured Kr releases were in good agreement with the Cs migration and release.
