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Division Spotlight
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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?
R. B. Walton, E. I. Whitted, R. A. Forster
Nuclear Technology | Volume 24 | Number 1 | October 1974 | Pages 81-92
Technical Paper | Instrument | doi.org/10.13182/NT74-A31463
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A method based on the detection of 0.767- and 1.001-MeV gamma rays from 234mPa has been developed for the assay of 238U in large containers of uranium waste. Detailed calibration and assay procedures were obtained for × 4- × 4-ft plywood boxes of combustible waste. The gamma rays were detected with a large NaI crystal and a line-source “standard” box was used for calibration. The calibration was extended over a wide range of box weights using Monte Carlo calculations of gamma-ray attenuation. The error in the calibration is <6% (2σ); much larger assay errors can result from heterogeneities in the waste and from the age dependence of the 238U daughters. The detection limit for a 5-min count is about 30 g 238U in a typical box of combustibles. Data generated for the box problem, together with additional Monte Carlo calculations, were used to devise a simple analytical model applicable for the assay of boxes and cylinders in a range of practical geometries. The essential feature of this model is a flux buildup factor which accounts for Compton-scattered photons.