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Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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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.
Levi Gardner, Allison Harward, Jerry Howard, Guy Fredrickson, Tae-Sic Yoo, Michael Simpson, Krista Carlson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 2 | February 2022 | Pages 310-317
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.1889923
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Molten eutectic LiCl-KCl salt is a widely used electrolyte for electrorefining uranium from spent nuclear fuel. Due to the hygroscopic nature of this salt, such operations must be performed under controlled atmospheric conditions, and waste salts require careful storage to avoid deliquescence and corrosion of container materials. This study investigated a potential processing path for reducing the degree of deliquescence through dilution to varying extents with NaCl. The hydration behavior of LiCl-KCl salts diluted with NaCl was evaluated in terms of mass gain due to water absorption, degree of deliquescence (including first appearances of standing water), and evidence of corrosion to stainless steel containers in a humid air environment (40°C, 20% relative humidity). In this humid air environment, pure eutectic LiCl-KCl exhibited a 50 mass % increase due to water absorption and showed evidence of standing water after 24 h. Waste salt diluted with NaCl required loadings of 89 mass % NaCl in order to prevent deliquescence and exhibited a 3 mass % increase due to water absorption. After periodic observation for 48 h, standing water was observed near all ingots with the exception of the 89 mass % NaCl samples. Dilution with 89% NaCl was also found to reduce evidence of corrosion when stored in stainless steel crucibles. While dilution with NaCl greatly decreases steady-state hydration, the storage volume is increased ~10× through this procedure.