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Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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April 3–5, 2025
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First astatine-labeled compound shipped in the U.S.
The Department of Energy’s National Isotope Development Center (NIDC) on March 31 announced the successful long-distance shipment in the United States of a biologically active compound labeled with the medical radioisotope astatine-211 (At-211). Because previous shipments have included only the “bare” isotope, the NIDC has described the development as “unleashing medical innovation.”
Almir Fernandes, Sudarshan K. Loyalka
Nuclear Technology | Volume 116 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 270-282
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35283
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Aerosol released in postulated or real nuclear reactor accidents can deposit on containment surfaces via motion induced by temperature gradients in addition to the motion due to diffusion and gravity. The deposition due to temperature gradients is known as thermophoretic deposition, and it is currently modeled in codes such as CONTAIN in direct analogy with heat transfer, but there have been questions about such analogies. This paper focuses on a numerical solution of the particle continuity equation in laminar flow condition characteristics of natural convection. First, the thermophoretic deposition rate is calculated as a function of the Prandtl and Schmidt numbers, the thermophoretic coefficient K, and the temperature difference between the atmosphere and the wall. Then, the cases of diffusion alone and a boundary-layer approximation (due to Batchelor and Shen) to the full continuity equation are considered. It is noted that an analogy with heat transfer does not hold, but for the circumstances considered in this paper, the deposition rates from the diffusion solution and the boundary-layer approximation can be added to provide reasonably good agreement (maximum deviation 30%) with the full solution of the particle continuity equation. Finally, correlations useful for implementation in the reactor source term codes are provided.