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Division Spotlight
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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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Four million nuclear jobs by 2050: Who will do them?
Industry leaders from around the globe met this month to discuss the talent development that will be necessary for the long-term success of the nuclear industry.
The International Conference on Nuclear Knowledge Management and Human Resources Development, hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency, was held in Vienna earlier this month. Discussed there was the agency’s forecast for nuclear capacity to more than double—or hopefully triple—by 2050 and the requirement of more than four million professionals to support the industry.
Tunc Aldemir, Steven A. Arndt, Don. W. Miller
Nuclear Technology | Volume 76 | Number 2 | February 1987 | Pages 248-259
Technical Paper | Technique | doi.org/10.13182/NT87-A33879
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Ionization chambers (ICs) are used in reactor protection instrument channels for monitoring neutron flux levels. These neutron sensors may degrade during the operation of the reactor through a change in their fill-gas characteristics. The comparison of the simulated and measured transient IC response to bias voltage perturbations can lead to the identification of these mechanisms. Once the mechanisms are identified, their impact on instrument channel response can be assessed by parametric studies. The charge transport model for such an identification and assessment process consists of three coupled nonlinear parabolic differential equations. The initial conditions for these equations are found by solving for the steady-state charge distribution in the IC fill gas prior to bias voltage perturbation. The space-time charge distribution in the IC is determined by a fully explicit-semi-implicit numerical scheme. The model is implemented to determine the transient response of a N2- and a xenon-filled IC to a 500- V bias voltage perturbation. In this implementation, good agreement is observed between the predicted and measured responses, with substantial improvement over the previously proposed models. The comparison of the numerical scheme to the interactive continuous system modeling program technique used in the previous studies indicates a twentyfold reduction in the number of time steps required for the simulation of a 5-ms transient. The model is also capable of quantifying the effect of fill-gas impurities on the transient IC response.