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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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NRC approves V.C. Summer’s second license renewal
Dominion Energy’s V.C. Summer nuclear power plant, in Jenkinsville, S.C., has been authorized to operate for 80 years, until August 2062, following the renewal of its operating license by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a second time.
F.-X. Ouf, M. De Mendonca Andrade, H. Feuchter, S. Duval, C. Volkringer, T. Loiseau, F. Salm, P. Ainé, L. Cantrel, A. Gil-Martin, F. Hurel, C. Lavalette, P. March, P. Nerisson, J. Nos, L. Bouilloux
Nuclear Technology | Volume 209 | Number 2 | February 2023 | Pages 169-192
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2129274
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experimental results are reported on the airborne release, under fire conditions, of hazardous materials dissolved in a mixture of organic solvents [tributylphosphate (TBP) and hydrogenated tetrapropylene (HTP)] representative of the nuclear fuel recycling process. Cerium and ruthenium have been considered, respectively, as stable and volatile fission products that eventually could be released as airborne particles during thermal degradation of contaminated and inflammable liquids. Airborne release fractions (ARFs) and their experimental uncertainties have been determined. Considering fire involving contaminated organic solvents, higher ARFs are reported for ruthenium Ru(+III) (0.99 ± 1.20%) in comparison with cerium [0.22 ± 0.31% and 0.20 ± 0.28% for Ce(+III) and Ce(+IV), respectively]. This discrepancy is partially due to the volatility of ruthenium formed under these conditions. Considering configurations involving an aqueous nitric acid phase placed below contaminated solvents, boiling of this phase enhances the release of contaminant materials: 1.78 ± 1.06% and 1.01 ± 1.31% for Ce(+III) and Ce(+IV), respectively, and 12.41 ± 29.45% for Ru(+III). Analysis of the size distribution, morphology, and chemical composition of the released particles and droplets emitted during HTP/TBP bubble collapse are reported, highlighting the contribution of bubble bursting at the solvent surface to airborne release.