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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
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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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Christmas Night
Twas the night before Christmas when all through the houseNo electrons were flowing through even my mouse.
All devices were plugged in by the chimney with careWith the hope that St. Nikola Tesla would share.
Kyle E. Brumback, Seth R. Cadell, Brian G. Woods (Oregon State Univ)
Proceedings | Advances in Thermal Hydraulics 2018 | Orlando, FL, November 11-15, 2018 | Pages 701-713
An investigation into the onset of natural circulation during a depressurized conduction cooldown was conducted at the High Temperature Test Facility at Oregon State University. In this set of four tests, the primary loop of the facility was filled with helium and then heated until a temperature difference across the core was: 125°C, 250°C, 375°C, and 500°C. The Reactor Cavity Simulation Tank (RCST) was filled with nitrogen gas. During the heating phase of the test the primary loop and RCST were held at pressures greater than 130 kPa. Once the desired temperature was achieved the primary loop and RCST pressures were reduced to 112 and 110 kPa, respectively. The cold leg break valve was opened and then the hot leg break valve was opened. The hot helium in the primary loop began to flow into the RCST displacing the cold nitrogen, in a lock exchange flow. Once the density differences equalized in the two tanks, a natural circulation will develop as the gas is heated in the core, flows from into the RCST through the upper plenum, upcomer, and cold leg. Once cooled in the RCST the gas then flows through the hot leg and returns into the core. This paper discusses the findings for each of the four tests and compares the time required for the natural circulation to establish as a function of temperature across the core.