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Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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 new build procurement considerations
It may seem counterintuitive, but the best time to enhance the ability to support operations and maintenance for a new plant is before construction starts. This is one of many lessons learned by the currently operating nuclear fleet. As construction and startup of many nuclear facilities was completed, it quickly became evident that the ability to efficiently support operations and maintenance was limited. Most of the information necessary to establish and manage procurement of spare and replacement items, maintenance, and configuration of the facilities was unavailable and had to be gathered on a case-by-case, “on-demand” basis. Absence of necessary information and the associated challenges resulted in the need for staff augmentation and multiyear-long projects to develop equipment bills of material and maintenance programs and to perform technical evaluations for the huge quantities of spare and replacement items being requested.
Sang Ho Kim, Seong-Wan Hong, Rae-Joon Park
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 10 | October 2021 | Pages 1615-1632
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1820827
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A steam explosion can occur when molten corium falls from the reactor vessel into the water in the reactor cavity. While various research studies have been conducted on steam explosions following the free fall of molten corium in air before entering the water, steam explosions following submerged corium discharge under the ex-vessel cooling condition have received relatively little analysis. The aim of this paper is to compare the progress and consequences of a steam explosion in experiments and simulations for the partially flooded cavity and ex-vessel cooling conditions. Three steam explosion tests carried out in the TROI (Test for Real cOrium Interaction with water) experimental facility were simulated by the TEXAS-V code. Experimental tests were first modeled, followed by a comparison of the experimental and simulation results. The effect of the molten corium mass involved in the steam explosion under water at the moment of triggering on the strength of the explosion was higher than that of the corium composition in the tests and simulations for the condition of a partially flooded cavity. In the test and simulations of different corium injection modes to the water, the maximum pressure and impulse of the steam explosion appeared in the partially flooded cavity condition. In the simulations for the partially flooded cavity condition, the mass of the molten corium fragmented by Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) was higher than that fragmented by Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). Modeling of KHI fragmentation caused solidification of the fragmented corium particles, and the impulses reduced accordingly. In the simulations for the ex-vessel cooling condition, as melt jet breakup did not occur before the triggering time, simulations with only RTI fragmentation underestimated the impulse of the steam explosion. Otherwise, modeling of KHI fragmentation increased the impulse of the steam explosion due to fragmentation on the side of the corium jet. Steam explosion simulations in the ex-vessel cooling condition require more detailed modeling of the melt jet and premixing area, as well as variable adjustment for the fragmentation by KHI.