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Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2024
Nuclear Technology
August 2024
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
Manfred Fischer, Sevostian V. Bechta, Vladimir V. Bezlepkin, Ryoichi Hamazaki, Alexei Miassoedov
Nuclear Technology | Volume 196 | Number 3 | December 2016 | Pages 524-537
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT16-19
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the event of a severe accident in a nuclear power plant with the core melting, the stabilization of the molten corium is an important mitigation issue, as it can avoid late containment failure caused by basemat penetration, overpressure, or severe damage to internal structures. The related failure modes may result in significant long-term radiological consequences and related high costs.
Because of this, the licensing frameworks of several countries now include a requirement to implement mitigative core melt stabilization measures. This applies not only to new builds but also to existing light water reactors.
The paper gives an overview of the ex-vessel core melt stabilization strategies developed during the last decades. These strategies are based on a variety of physical principles, like melt fragmentation in a deep water pool or during the molten core–concrete interaction with top flooding, water injection from the bottom (COMET), and retention in an outside-cooled crucible structure.
This overview covers the physical background and functional principles of these concepts, as well as their validation status and, if applicable, the remaining open issues and research and development needs. For the concepts based on melt retention inside a cooled crucible that have reached sufficient maturity to be implemented in current Generation III+ designs, like the VVER-1000/1200 and the European Pressurized Water Reactor, more detailed descriptions are provided, which include key aspects of the related technical realization.
The paper is compiled using contributions from the main developers of the individual concepts.