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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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
BWXT will scout potential TRISO fuel production sites in Wyoming
BWX Technologies Inc. announced today that its Advanced Technologies subsidiary has signed a cooperation agreement with the state of Wyoming to evaluate locations and requirements for siting a potential new TRISO nuclear fuel fabrication facility in the state.
D. W. Brite
Nuclear Technology | Volume 18 | Number 2 | May 1973 | Pages 87-96
Technical Paper | A Review of Plutonium Utilization in Thermal Reactors / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT73-A31280
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission is developing general design criteria for plutonium processing and fabrication plants. In the meantime, an Atomic Energy Commission review of proposed sites and design plans for such facilities is required prior to the start of construction. The design of most new plutonium facilities today anticipates a reduction in the maximum permissible personnel radiation exposure from the present 5 rem/yr to 1 rem/yr. Plutonium-uranium mixed-oxide fuels for thermal reactors are most frequently prepared from mechanically blended PuO2 and UO2 powders. Fuel pellets, fabricated by dry powder preparations, cold pressing, sintering, and grinding to size, are encapsulated in Zircaloy tubes, which are then assembled into bundles as required for each reactor. Alternate mixed-oxide fuel fabrication techniques include preparation of coprecipitated UO2-PuO2 powders, binder addition by a wet process, hot pressing, and the use of packed-particle rather than pelletized fuels. Packed-particle fuel materials that have been utilized were prepared by a high energy pneumatic impaction process, a sol-gel process, or by cold pressing and sintering. Such fuel materials are packed in rods by either a vibratory compaction or a swaging process. A quality assurance program is required which covers all planned actions necessary to provide the degree of confidence needed to ensure that the fuels meet or exceed the requirements of design specifications.