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The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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.”
Michael Epstein, Hans K. Fauske, Charles F. Askonas, Marc A. Vial, Patricia Paviet-Hartmann
Nuclear Technology | Volume 163 | Number 2 | August 2008 | Pages 307-320
Technical Paper | Reprocessing | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3990
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A Semenov-type analysis is made of the conditions for an exothermic runaway reaction in an "organic phase" (or "red oil") made up of tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) saturated with nitric acid (HNO3). Also, a theoretical framework is developed to predict the critical organic layer depth above which a runaway will occur when the organic layer rests on a layer of aqueous nitric acid ("aqueous phase"). Available calorimetry data on peak pressurization rates during vented TBP/HNO3 reactions are rationalized using orifice flow theory, which provides a simple criterion for the required vent area for vessel pressure relief during a red oil runaway. Finally, it is shown that the Tomsk-7 accident can be explained by a combination of weak reaction tempering at the vessel relief valve set pressure and insufficient venting capacity. The formulations for determining the onset of a TBP/HNO3 runaway outlined in this paper rely heavily on the empirical and semiempirical equations developed in the companion paper "Thermal Stability and Safe Venting of the Tri-N-Butyl Phosphate-Nitric Acid-Water ("Red Oil") System - II: Experimental Data on Reaction Self-Heat Rates and Gas Production and Their Correlation," Nuclear Technology, Vol. 163, p. 294 (2008), which deals with the chemical self-heat rate in the organic phase, the gas production rate in the organic phase, and the superficial gas velocity across the aqueous-organic interface of a two-layer organic over aqueous configuration.