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Division Spotlight
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.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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
TerraPower begins U.K. regulatory approval process
Seattle-based TerraPower signaled its interest this week in building its Natrium small modular reactor in the United Kingdom, the company announced.
TerraPower sent a letter to the U.K.’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, formally establishing its intention to enter the U.K. generic design assessment (GDA) process. This is TerraPower’s first step in deployment of its Natrium technology—a 345-MW sodium fast reactor coupled with a molten salt energy storage unit—on the international stage.
Gregory J. Van Tuyle, Gregory C. Slovik, Robert J. Kennett, Bing C. Chan, Arnold L. Aronson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 91 | Number 2 | August 1990 | Pages 165-184
Technical Paper | Safety of Next Generation Power Reactor / Nuclear Saftey | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34426
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Analytical results from an independent evaluation of the so-called “inherent reactor shutdown” mechanism in the proposed Power Reactor Inherently Safe Module (PRISM) advanced liquid-metal reactor design are discussed. Inherent reactor shutdown, in this context, refers to the tendency of the metal fuel reactor to inherently transition to a low power level when the reactor overheats significantly. Such behavior was demonstrated at the small Experimental Breeder Reactor II in 1986, but extrapolation to the proposed PRISM design concept requires extensive computer calculations. Analyses by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) tend to confirm calculations submitted by General Electric (GE) and the Argonne National Laboratory staff providing technical expertise to GE on the metal fuel. The BNL calculations also indicate some problem areas, particularly with respect to very low probability events that could lead to sodium voiding.