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Division Spotlight
Human Factors, Instrumentation & Controls
Improving task performance, system reliability, system and personnel safety, efficiency, and effectiveness are the division's main objectives. Its major areas of interest include task design, procedures, training, instrument and control layout and placement, stress control, anthropometrics, psychological input, and motivation.
Meeting Spotlight
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ARPA-E announces $40 million to develop transmutation technologies for UNF
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel into less-radioactive substances. According to ARPA-E, the new initiative addresses one of the agency’s core goals as outlined by Congress: to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
Joffrey Dorville, Jacob Tellez, Conner Glatt, Andrew Osborne, Jenifer Shafer, Jeffrey King
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 1 | December 2022 | Pages S26-S51
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2072649
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Megawatt Implementation of a NuclEar ReActor using Low-enrichment uranium (MINERAL) is designed to deliver 2 MW(electric) of steady-state electricity to a colony established on the surface of Mars with a minimum lifetime of 10 years. The main challenge associated with a low-enrichment uranium fission surface power system is reducing the total mass, which will be higher than that of an equivalent high-enrichment uranium system. Optimizing the mass of the system is crucial to limit the amount of Earth-Mars cargo needed to deploy a MINERAL unit. The use of yttrium hydride as a moderator has shown promise in reducing the overall mass of the reactor. An in-house Python framework evaluates the neutronic, thermal-hydraulic, and heat rejection performance throughout the design process. The final design iteration uses a CO2 Brayton cycle cooled by a passive heat rejection system consisting of six panels with a total surface area of 4752 m2. The cylindrical core is fueled with low-enrichment uranium monocarbide with 0.83 wt% of pure 157Gd moderated with yttrium hydride and surrounded by a beryllium oxide reflector. The reactivity is controlled by ten control drums and a central control rod, which provide enough margin to operate the reactor and ensure its subcriticality in case of a submersion accident. The mass of the core with the reflector, reactivity control system, and shield is 7.2 tonnes.