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Division Spotlight
Thermal Hydraulics
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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
Proving DRACO will deliver
The United States is now closer than it has been in over five decades to launching the first nuclear thermal rocket into space, thanks to DRACO—the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Orbit.
Seok Yoon, Jun-Seo Jeon, Seeun Chang, Deuk-Hwan Lee, Seung-Rae Lee, Geon-Young Kim
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 3 | March 2020 | Pages 514-525
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1632093
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A geological repository has been considered as one of the best options for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), with the concepts of an engineered barrier system (EBS) and a natural barrier system. A compacted bentonite buffer is the most crucial component of the EBS. Because groundwater penetrates the compacted bentonite buffer, it is essential to investigate a water-retention curve (WRC) of the compacted bentonite buffer to evaluate the overall safety performance of the EBS because the WRC of the compacted bentonite buffer can affect the thermal-hydraulic–mechanical behavior of every component of the EBS. Therefore, this technical note reports on laboratory experiments conducted to analyze the WRC for a Korean Ca-type compacted bentonite considering dry density, confined or unconfined condition, and drying or wetting path. Models by Fredlund and Xing and by van Genuchten had the best fit with the experimental data. The results revealed higher water content with smaller dry density and in an unconfined condition and higher total suction during the drying path. Furthermore, the air-entry values (AEVs) and fitting parameters of the van Genuchten model were compared with other Ca-type bentonites produced in Europe. A smaller AEV showed lower expansibility since the AEV is affected in the low-suction range and expansibility.