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Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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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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?
N. R. Chellew, W. E. Miller, R. W. Kessie, C. C. McPheeters, P. A. Nelson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 21 | Number 2 | February 1974 | Pages 125-132
Technical Paper | Instrument | doi.org/10.13182/NT74-A31368
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Work has been completed to demonstrate the feasibility of a new cladding-failure monitoring technique based on determination of the 135I content of the primary sodium coolant of Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors (LMFBRs). The method was devised to aid in detecting the penetration of fuel element cladding by sodium coolant. The method consists of isolating a small volume of primary sodium, sparging it with an inert gas to strip out dissolved gases which are discarded, further sparging the sample to strip 135mXe produced by 135I decay, and calculating the 135I content of the sodium from the 135mXe content of the second sparge. A sparging monitor was built and tested to determine the time required to sparge dissolved radioxenon (133Xe) from molten sodium. This time varied from ∼1 to 1.5 min, depending on experimental conditions. For the calculated background level of 135I in the primary sodium of Experimental Breeder Reactor II, a counting time of ∼2 min would be required to determine the amount of 135mXe removed by the second sparging to a 1σ counting precision of ±4%. A shorter counting time would be required for higher 135mXe levels that would occur during fuel failure. A system with automatic controls was designed for monitoring 135I in the primary sodium of an LMFBR.
