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Division Spotlight
Education, Training & Workforce Development
The Education, Training & Workforce Development Division provides communication among the academic, industrial, and governmental communities through the exchange of views and information on matters related to education, training and workforce development in nuclear and radiological science, engineering, and technology. Industry leaders, education and training professionals, and interested students work together through Society-sponsored meetings and publications, to enrich their professional development, to educate the general public, and to advance nuclear and radiological science and engineering.
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!
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
Scott Briggs (York Univ), Jennifer McKelvie (Canadian Inst for Advanced Research), Magdalena Krol (York Univ)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 317-321
The long-term storage of nuclear waste is an engineering challenge being investigated around the world. The Canadian deep geological repository (DGR) design consists of a multiple barrier system including a used fuel container (UFC) surrounded by bentonite within a low permeability host rock. The bentonite buffer that surrounds the UFC is designed to limit the ingress of chemical species towards the UFC and minimize egress of radionuclides away from the UFC. In addition, the UFC consists of an inner steel container that resists the expected pressures at 500-800 m below the ground surface and is coated in copper which acts as a barrier against corrosion. Sulphide that is remotely produced by sulphate reducing bacteria far away from the UFC, can diffuse through the bentonite buffer and result in UFC corrosion. Modelling the transport of sulphide is therefore critical to determining the expected corrosion on the surface of the UFC. Accordingly, a three dimensional (3D) finite element model of the Canadian DGR was developed with emphasis on capturing the unique 3D UFC geometry and expected repository layout. The numerical model was implemented using COMSOL Multiphysics, and sulphide diffusion through the buffer was simulated using Fick’s Law incorporating a temperature dependent diffusion coefficient. The temperature in the DGR is expected to peak close to 100°C in the first 100 years due to the thermal radiation of heat from the used nuclear fuel. The results show an interesting variation of sulphide transport throughout the DGR indicating the benefits of 3D modelling. In addition, diffusion coefficients increase by a factor of 4 compared to background levels with temperatures near 100°C and lead to a sulphide flux increase in the DGR. The model includes diffusion coefficients that change spatially and temporally to fully capture the effect on sulphide flux.