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Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
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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
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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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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.
Helena E. C. Rummens, J. T. Rogers, C. W. Turner
Nuclear Technology | Volume 148 | Number 3 | December 2004 | Pages 268-286
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3566
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It is hypothesized that the thermal-hydraulic environment plays a role in the fouling of tube supports in nuclear steam generators. Experiments were performed to simulate the thermal-hydraulic environment near various designs of supports. Pressure loss, local velocity, turbulence intensity, and local void fraction were measured to characterize the effect of the support. Fouling mechanisms specific to supports were inferred from these experimental data and from actual steam generator inspection results. An analytical model was developed to predict the rate of particulate deposition on the supports, to better understand the complex processes involved.This paper presents the following set of tools for assessing the fouling propensity of a given support design: (1) proposed fouling mechanisms, (2) criteria for support fouling propensity, (3) correlation of fouling with parameters such as mass flux and quality, (4) descriptions of experimental tools such as flow visualization and measurement of pressure-loss profiles, and (5) analytical tools.An important conclusion from this and our previous work is that the fouling propensity is greater with broached support plates, both trefoil and quatrefoil, than with lattice bar supports and formed bar supports, in which significant cross flows occur.