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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
Guillermo D. Del Cul, Alan S. Icenhour, Darrell W. Simmons
Nuclear Technology | Volume 136 | Number 1 | October 2001 | Pages 89-98
Technical Paper | Decontamination/Decommissioning | doi.org/10.13182/NT01-A3231
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) site at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is being cleaned up and remediated. The removal of ~37 kg of fissile 233U is the main activity. Of that inventory, ~23 kg has already been removed as UF6 from the piping system and chemisorbed in 25 NaF traps. This material is in temporary storage while it awaits conversion to a stable oxide. The planned recovery of ~11 kg of uranium from the fuel salt will generate another 15 to 19 NaF traps. The remaining 2 to 3 kg of uranium are present in activated charcoal beds, which are also scheduled to be removed from the reactor site. Since all of these materials (NaF traps and the uranium-laden charcoal) are not suitable for long-term storage, they will be converted to a uranium oxide (U3O8), which is suitable for long-term storage.The conversion of the MSRE material into an oxide presents unique problems, such as criticality concerns, a large radiation field caused by the daughters of 232U (an impurity isotope in the 233U), and the possible spread of the high-radiation field from the release of 220Rn gas. To overcome these problems, a novel process was conceived and developed. This process was specially tailored for providing remote operations inside a hot cell while maintaining full containment at all times to avoid the spread of contamination. This process satisfies criticality concerns, maximizes the recovery of uranium, minimizes any radiation exposure to operators, and keeps waste disposal to a minimum.