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Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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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
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
Karl-Fredrik Nilsson, Peter Dillström, Claes-Göran Andersson, Fred Nilsson, Mats Andersson, Philip Minnebo, Lars-Erik Bjorkegren, Bo Erixon
Nuclear Technology | Volume 163 | Number 1 | July 2008 | Pages 3-14
Technical Paper | High-Level Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3964
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Swedish KBS-3 copper-cast iron canister for geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel is in an advanced stage. This paper deals with the cast iron insert that provides the mechanical strength of the canister and outlines an approach to assess the failure probabilities for manufactured canisters at large isostatic pressure (44 MPa) that could occur during future glaciations and first steps to derive acceptance criteria to ensure that failure probabilities are extremely small. The work includes a statistical test program using three inserts to determine the tensile, compression, and fracture properties. Specimens used for material characterization were also investigated by microstructural analysis to determine the microstructure and to classify and size defects. It was found that the material scatter and low ductility were caused by many defect types, but slag defects in the form of oxidation films were the most important ones. These data were then used to compute defect distributions for the probabilistic failure analysis of the KBS-3 canisters. A large number of finite element-analyses of canisters were performed at the maximum design load (44 MPa) covering distributions of material parameters and geometrical features of the canisters. The computed probabilities for fracture and plastic collapse were very low even for material data with low ductility. Two large-scale isostatic compression tests of KBS-3 mock-ups to verify safety margins are also described. The failure occurred at loads above 130 MPa in both cases, indicating a safety margin of at least a factor 3 against the maximum design load. As a result of the project, new acceptance criteria are being proposed for insert geometry and material properties, and the manufacturing process for inserts has been modified to ensure that these criteria are always fulfilled.