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Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Zhongliang Lv, Zhong Chen, Zijia Zhao, Lichao Tian
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 6 | June 2022 | Pages 1074-1082
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.2000557
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
As a new type of nuclear power system, more attention has been paid to the small modular reactor in the development of nuclear power after the Fukushima accident. This paper focuses on the core study of a 5-MW(thermal) water-cooled super small modular reactor (WSMR) based on the sensitivity analysis of the key design parameters. The key design parameters include the fuel enrichment of 235U, the moderation performance, the separation work, and the layout scheme of the control rods. The impact analysis of the key design parameters on the steady-state performance and on the burnup performance is provided. From the impact analysis, the method of how to extend the operation life of the WSMR reactor is provided.
