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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Spent fuel transfer project completed at INL
Work crews at Idaho National Laboratory have transferred 40 spent nuclear fuel canisters into long-term storage vaults, the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has reported.
G. L. Copeland, R. G. Donnelly, W. R. Martin
Nuclear Technology | Volume 16 | Number 1 | October 1972 | Pages 226-237
Technical Paper | Reactor Materials Performance / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT72-A31189
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Boron carbide is the prime candidate material for neutron absorbers in fast breeder reactors and the Fast Test Reactor. Important data required for design of control rods for these reactors concern swelling, gas release, and structural integrity of boron carbide under the expected operating conditions. Data for irradiations of boron carbide powders in a thermal reactor and powders and pellets in a fast reactor are presented and discussed in terms of expected performance in a fast reactor. The most important variable in determining irradiation behavior appears to be the mobility of the helium produced relative to the rate it is produced. The helium is not trapped in the lattice but precipitates. Denuded zones and absence of bubbles on grain boundaries suggest that helium diffuses rapidly along the grain boundaries. This is a major source of gas release.