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Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
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
Jun 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
July 2024
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
NRC engineers share their expertise at the University of Puerto Rico
Robert Roche-Rivera and Marcos Rolón-Acevedo are licensed professional engineers who work at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They are also alumni of the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez (UPRM) and have been sharing their knowledge and experience with students at their alma mater since last year, serving as adjunct professors in the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. During the 2023–2024 school year, they each taught two courses: Fundamentals of Nuclear Science and Engineering, and Nuclear Power Plant Engineering.
M. Caramello, M. Frignani, R. Beaumont, M. Tarantino, J. Liao, R. F. Wright, M. Durse, A. Wimshurst, P. Ferroni
Nuclear Technology | Volume 210 | Number 4 | April 2024 | Pages 740-757
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2023.2241731
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Innovative reactor concepts are being studied by several research institutions and private entities for their role against climate change and energy poverty. The Generation IV International Forum, committed for more than 20 years in support of advanced reactors, has drawn up a series of objectives for the new class of nuclear plants, among which is an improvement in safety and economy through passive safety systems for the removal of decay heat. One of the most studied technologies is the lead fast reactor (LFR), whose coolant has a high boiling point, excellent shielding capabilities, and good heat transfer in forced and natural circulation, as well as neutron properties suitable for a hard spectrum. These allow for designing systems with high simplification and wide safety margins. On the other hand, opacity, corrosion, and innovative design choices require demonstration of the technology in experimental campaigns before using it in the industrial field.
In recent years, Westinghouse Electric Company has begun the conceptual study of an intermediate size LFR [~460 MW(electric)] which, by exploiting the opportunities of the technology, aims at marketability over the next decade. One of the features is a passive heat removal system that allows, through different heat exchange mechanisms including conduction, convection, and radiation, for the transfer of decay heat from the reactor block to a pool of water inside the containment. The system is designed for indefinite heat removal thanks to channels that allow outside air to replace water following complete boiling. For the geometry of the system, the size, the materials, and the heat transfer mechanisms, an experimental activity is required to validate the prediction of the calculation codes and potentially support design optimization.
The UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has recently subsidized the design, procurement, installation, and operation of the Passive Heat Removal Facility, an experimental facility to study the innovative safety system. This paper presents the activities of scaling, design, pretesting, and installation of that facility.