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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.
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Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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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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.
Halil I. Avci, Gerald L. Kulcinski
Nuclear Technology | Volume 44 | Number 3 | August 1979 | Pages 333-345
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32270
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The placement of liquid metals (lithium, lead, and a Pb-Li eutectic Pb4Li) between the first wall and the source of neutrons has been considered as a mechanism for extending first wall lifetimes in inertial confinement fusion reactors. This scheme is called the Internal Spectral Shifter and Energy Converter (ISSEC). All three liquid metals have been shown to reduce the radiation damage in the Type 316 stainless-steel structural first wall and thus increase the first wall lifetime. On a per-unit thickness basis, a Pb4Li ISSEC is most effective, followed by lead and lithium in decreasing order. If the first wall is operating at 300°C, it is estimated that ∼50 cm of liquid lithium or liquid lead, or ∼40 cm of liquid Pb4Li zone will give enough protection to the Type 316 stainless-steel first structural wall so that it may last for 30 yr at a nominal 5 MW/m2 wall loading and 70% plant factor. If the wall is operating at 500°C, ∼85 cm of lithium, 50 cm of lead, or 40 cm of Pb4Li is needed, and at 600°C the required ISSEC thickness goes up to ∼2 m for lithium, ∼70 cm for lead, and 65 cm for Pb4Li. The lead and Pb4Li ISSECs increase the total energy multiplication in the reactor, while the lithium ISSEC keeps it about constant. It has been shown that the liquid ISSECs could produce in the first wall a primary knock-on atom spectrum, as well as a gas production to displacement damage ratio, close to that found in fast or thermal fission test reactors, thus allowing more confidence in applying data from current systems to future fusion devices. An overall conclusion of the study is that the Pb-Li eutectic ISSEC has better characteristics than both pure lead and lithium ISSECs, and for best results it should be used at thicknesses ranging from 45 to 65 cm.