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Division Spotlight
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
Meeting Spotlight
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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August 2024
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Latest News
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.
J. R. Engel, W. A. Rhoades, W. R. Grimes, J. F. Dearing
Nuclear Technology | Volume 46 | Number 1 | November 1979 | Pages 30-43
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32377
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Molten-salt reactors (MSRs), because of the fluid nature of the fuel, appear to provide an attractive approach to efficient fuel utilization in the thorium-233U cycle as well as a means for limiting the availability of plutonium and the general proliferation risks associated with nuclear power generation. High-enrichment 233U systems could, in principle, be operated with positive breeding gains to effectively eliminate plutonium as a nuclear fuel However, such systems would be proliferation sensitive. Concept modifications (short of denaturing the uranium fuel) can be conceived to enhance the proliferation resistance of high-enrichment MSRs, but it is doubtful that sufficient enhancement could be achieved to make the systems suitable for deployment other than at “secure” sites. Denaturing the uranium in an MSR introduces some plutonium into the fuel cycle and generally degrades its breeding performance. Nevertheless, a denatured MSR with full-scale on-site fuel reprocessing appears to be capable of break-even breeding. In addition, the plutonium (most of which is consumed in situ) would be of poor quality and would never be isolated from all other undesirable nuclides. Thus, such systems would provide for efficient utilization of uranium resources in a proliferation-resistant environment while limiting the amount of plutonium (and transplutonium actinides) that would have to be handled as waste. The development of commercial MSRs by early in the 21st century appears to be technologically feasible.