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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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Latest News
Oklo completes end-to-end demonstration of advanced fuel recycling
Oklo Inc. has announced that it has completed the first end-to-end demonstration of its advanced fuel recycling process as part of an ongoing $5 million project in collaboration with Argonne and Idaho National Laboratories. Oklo’s goal: scaling up its fuel recycling capabilities to deploy a commercial-scale recycling facility that would increase advanced reactor fuel supplies and enhance fuel cost effectiveness for its planned sodium fast reactors.
Y. Hou, E. K. Barefield, D. W. Tedder, S. I. Abdel-Khalik
Nuclear Technology | Volume 113 | Number 3 | March 1996 | Pages 304-315
Technical Paper | Enrichment and Reprocessing System | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35210
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Extended contact between heated mixtures of trin-butyl phosphate (TBP) and aqueous solutions of nitric acid and/or heavy metal nitrate salts at elevated temperatures can lead to exothermic reactions of explosive violence. Most solvent extraction operations (e.g., Purex) are conducted at ambient conditions without heating TBP and have been performed safely for decades, but several explosions involving TBP have occurred in the United States, Canada, and the former Soviet Union. This investigation was undertaken to characterize the products of thermal decomposition of both single- and two-phase mixtures of TBP, nitric acid, and water under a variety of conditions. The data indicate that the extent of reaction and the rate of gaseous product formation are affected by the presence of Zr4+, distillation compared with reflux conditions, temperature, water/HNO3 and HNO3/TBP ratios, and whether the decomposition occurs under constant pressure or constant volume conditions. Higher reaction temperatures accelerate the rate of decomposition, but the extent of decomposition, as measured by the quantity of gaseous products, was greater at lower temperatures when the decomposition was performed under distillation conditions. Higher gas production occurs under reflux conditions, lower H2O/HNO3 ratios, and when a separate water-HNO3 phase is initially present. The major gaseous products include N2, CO, CO2, NO, and N2O. Measurable amounts of NO2 were not present in the final product mixture, although an orange color suggesting the presence of NO2 was observed in the early stages of decomposition. The major liquid products were dibutyl phosphoric acid, butyl nitrate, and water. Small amounts of C1-C4 carboxylic acids were also present. Because of the small sample sizes that were employed and the isothermal conditions of the decomposition, runaway reactions were not observed. Some possible reaction pathways are considered.