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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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
Seconds Matter: Rethinking Nuclear Facility Security for the Modern Threat Landscape
In today’s rapidly evolving threat environment, nuclear facilities must prioritize speed and precision in their security responses—because in critical moments, every second counts. An early warning system serves as a vital layer of defense, enabling real-time detection of potential intrusions or anomalies before they escalate into full-blown incidents. By providing immediate alerts and actionable intelligence, these systems empower security personnel to respond decisively, minimizing risk to infrastructure, personnel, and the public. The ability to anticipate and intercept threats at the earliest possible stage not only enhances operational resilience but also reinforces public trust in the safety of nuclear operations. Investing in such proactive technologies is no longer optional—it’s essential for modern nuclear security.
G. Bandyopadhyay, J. A. Buzzell
Nuclear Technology | Volume 47 | Number 1 | January 1980 | Pages 91-109
Technical Paper | Reactor Siting | doi.org/10.13182/NT80-A32414
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Direct electrical heating (DEH) experiments have been performed to study fuel and fission gas behavior during transients with thermal conditions similar to those predicted for flow-coastdown and sodium voiding phases of a reference reactor hypothetical loss-of-flow accident case. Macroscopic fuel response, such as gross fuel swelling and fuel dispersal in DEH fuel pellet stacks, was monitored during the transients. It was noted that in the presence of a mild restraint (e.g., due to quartz “cladding”), fuel melting always occurred prior to any detectable gross fuel motion in the stack. The fuel response at failure was strongly dependent on the thermal history of the simulated flow-coastdown phase and the heating rates during the subsequent phase of the transient experiments. In the presence of a mild restraint, the thermal history before fuel melting occurred in the stack strongly influenced the fuel behavior. The thermal history before melting determines the nature and morphology of fission gas bubbles at the time of melting. These, in turn, strongly influence the fuel behavior after molten fuel appears. Micro structural analysis of the fuel before and after transients provided additional data that indicate that the interaction between fission gas and molten fuel that may lead to frothing of molten fuel due to expansion of fission gas can play a major role in swelling of the fuel stacks and in fuel behavior at failure.
