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Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
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?
D. R. Vissers, J. T. Holmes, L. G. Bartholme, P. A. Nelson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 21 | Number 3 | March 1974 | Pages 235-244
Technical Paper | Instrument | doi.org/10.13182/NT74-A31394
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A diffusion-type hydrogen-activity meter has been developed at Argonne National Laboratory to measure the hydrogen level of the sodium coolant in Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor systems. The meter can be operated in two modes: an equilibrium mode and a dynamic mode. In the equilibrium mode, the hydrogen pressure in equilibrium with the sodium is measured by a pressure sensor and is related to the hydrogen concentration in the sodium by the Sieverts’ law constant for the hydrogen-sodium system. In the dynamic mode, the hydrogen concentration in sodium is measured by the rate of hydrogen diffusion through a nickel membrane immersed in the sodium. A vacuum of 10−6 to 10−8 Torr is drawn on the membrane at a steady rate by an ion pump, and the hydrogen activity gradient from the sodium side to the vacuum side of the membrane causes hydrogen to diffuse through the membrane. The partial pressure of hydrogen on the vacuum side, a measure of the hydrogen flux and hydrogen activity in the sodium, is determined by measuring the current to the ion pump. The meter is unique in that it does not require any form of external calibration. Data were obtained in this study of the Sieverts’ constant and hydrogen solubility for the range of 0.03 to 1 ppm. The Sieverts’ constant is slightly affected by temperature over the range 370 to 500° C and is given by The solubility of hydrogen in sodium for 0.03 to 70 ppm (including the data of others) is given by