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Division Spotlight
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
NRC engineers share their expertise at the University of Puerto Rico
Robert Roche-Rivera and Marcos Rolón-Acevedo are licensed professional engineers who work at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They are also alumni of the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez (UPRM) and have been sharing their knowledge and experience with students at their alma mater since last year, serving as adjunct professors in the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. During the 2023–2024 school year, they each taught two courses: Fundamentals of Nuclear Science and Engineering, and Nuclear Power Plant Engineering.
T. Q. Hua, S. J. Lee, J. Liao, A. Moisseytsev, P. Ferroni, A. Karahan, C. Y. Paik, A. M. Tentner, T. Sofu
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 2 | February 2020 | Pages 206-217
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1598715
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Fauske & Associates, LLC (FAI), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and Westinghouse Electric Company are collaborating within the program “Development of an Integrated Mechanistic Source Term Assessment Capability for Lead- and Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors.” This program, partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear initiative, aims at developing a computational framework for predicting radionuclide release from a broad spectrum of accidents that can be postulated to occur at liquid metal cooled reactor (LMR) facilities. Specifically, the program couples the transient and severe accident analysis capability of the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 code developed by ANL with the radionuclide transport analysis capability of the Facility Flow, Aerosol, Thermal, and Explosion (FATE) code developed by FAI. The testing of both the individual codes and of the coupled system is performed on a generic lead cooled fast reactor (LFR) design that is intended to capture the key differences between the LFR and the sodium fast reactor (SFR), around which the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 code has historically been developed and from which the coupled code inherits some features requiring modification before application to LFR systems. By means of this approach, a computational framework applicable to both LFR and SFR systems will be obtained that will assist LMR developers in performing a realistic, scenario-dependent mechanistic source term (MST) assessment expected not only to strengthen their safety case but also to support easier siting and claims on reduced emergency planning zone requirements. This paper discusses the work being performed to adapt the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 and FATE codes to LFR technology; the code coupling method implemented; and some of the results of the LFR test case, with the latter aimed at demonstrating the progress made toward the development of the MST analysis capability that is ultimately targeted.