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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
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
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Xiangdong Feng, John K. Bates, Edgar C. Buck, Charles R. Bradley, Meiling Gong
Nuclear Technology | Volume 104 | Number 2 | November 1993 | Pages 193-206
Technical Paper | Special Issue on Waste Management / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34883
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The behavior of radioactive sludge-based and simulated nuclear waste glasses has been compared by long-term testing of radioactive and simulated compositions of Savannah River Laboratory 165, 131, and 200 glasses. Static tests at glass surface area-to-solution volume (SA/V) ratios of 340 and 2000 m-1 up to 720 days show little difference in reactivity between radioactive and simulated waste glasses. The same leach trends are observed for both glass types. The differences in reactivity at an SA/V of 2000 m-1 or below are not large enough to alter the order of glass durability for the different compositions nor to change the controlling glass dissolution processes. The small differences in reactivity between fully radioactive and simulated glasses can reasonably be explained if the controlling reaction process and leachate pH values are accounted for. However, at an SA/V of 20000 m-1, the simulated nuclear waste glass, 200S, leaches faster than the corresponding radioactive glass by a factor of 40 within 1 yr. The accelerated reaction with the simulated glass 200S is associated with the formation of crystalline phases such as clinoptilolite (or K-feldspar), and a pH excursion. The radiation field generated by the fully radioactive glass reduces the solution pH, which, in turn, may retard the onset of the increased reaction rate. This result suggests that the fully radioactive nuclear waste glass 200R may be substantially more durable than the simulated 200S glass if the lower pH in the 200R leachate can be sustained. Meaningful comparison tests between radioactive and simulated nuclear waste glasses should include long-term and high SA/V tests.