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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2025
Nuclear Technology
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Latest News
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?
M. D. Freshley
Nuclear Technology | Volume 18 | Number 2 | May 1973 | Pages 141-170
Technical Paper | A Review of Plutonium Utilization in Thermal Reactors / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT73-A31284
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Irradiation performance data available to date indicate that the behavior of Zircaloy-clad thermal reactor mixed-oxide fuels is entirely satisfactory. There do not appear to be any inherent performance limitations created by the addition of small amounts of PuO2 to UO2. The wide range of test conditions include peak linear heat ratings sufficient to cause fuel melting and peak burnups to over 50 000 MWd/MTM. Because small PuO2 additions to UO2 have an insignificant effect on those fuel properties which could affect irradiation behavior, thermal reactor mixed-oxide fuel performs similarly and equally as well as UO2-only fuel. The evidence indicates that the PuO2-rich regions that persist in nonrestructured mechanically mixed, mixed-oxide fuel have an insignificant effect on performance. The extent of plutonium migration which can occur during irradiation also has an insignificant effect on mixed-oxide fuel behavior. Satisfactory defect behavior of Zircaloy-clad UO2-PuO2 fuel under normal operating conditions is indicated. Transient behavior can be affected by the presence of abnormally large PuO2 particles in mixed-oxide fuel; however, the effect appears to be of little practical significance. PuO2 additions to UO2 do introduce special considerations related to fuel design and fabrication. However, the successful development of a sound base technology assures the timely utilization of plutonium in water-cooled power reactors on a reload basis beginning in the mid-1970s.
