From High to Low Enriched Uranium Fuel in Research Reactors

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 78-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven van den Berghe ◽  
Ann Leenaers ◽  
Edgar Koonen ◽  
Leo Sannen
Keyword(s):  
Research Reactor ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Research Reactors ◽  
Dispersion Fuel ◽  
The Past ◽  
Uranium Fuel ◽  
The World ◽  
Enriched Uranium ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Global Threat

Since the 1970's, global efforts have been going on to replace the high-enriched (>90% 235U), low-density UAlx research reactor fuel with high-density, low enriched (<20% 235U) replacements. This search is driven by the attempt to reduce the civil use of high-enriched material because of proliferation risks and terrorist threats. American initiatives, such as the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) and the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) program have triggered the development of reliable low-enriched fuel types for these reactors, which can replace the high enriched ones without loss of performance. Most success has presently been obtained with U3Si2 dispersion fuel, which is currently used in many research reactors in the world. However, efforts to search for a replacement with even higher density, which will also allow the conversion of some high flux research reactors that currently cannot change to U3Si2 (eg. BR2 in Belgium), have continued and are for the moment mainly directed towards the U(Mo) alloy fuel (7-10 w% Mo). This paper provides an overview of the past efforts and presents the current status of the U(Mo) development.

Status of the Low Enriched Uranium Fuel Development for High Performance Research Reactors

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Sannen ◽  
Sven van den Berghe ◽  
Ann Leenaers
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Volume Density ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Reactors ◽  
Dispersion Fuel ◽  
Uranium Fuel ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Enriched Uranium ◽  
Performance Research

Historically, uranium enriched to >90% 235U has been used for many peaceful applications requiring high fission densities such as driver fuels for research reactors. However, the use of high-enriched uranium or HEU (all enrichments >20% 235U are considered HEU) for civil applications, is considered a proliferation concern. Since the 1970's, efforts are being devoted to the conversion of research reactors operating on HEU to alternative fuels using uranium with enrichment below 20% or LEU. These efforts imply the development of high-density LEU fuels to replace the low volume-density (mostly) UAlx based HEU fuels. The paper updates the present status of these developments focusing on the UMo dispersion fuel. It aims to provide an overview of the knowledge generated and the lessons learned in roughly 15 years of UMo dispersion fuel R&D in Europe through irradiation experiments and post-irradiation examinations (PIE).

scholarly journals AN APPLICATION OF IRIDM IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS ON FUEL CONVERSION OF THE MARIA REACTOR

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieczysław Józef Borysiewicz ◽  
Karol Kowal ◽  
Piotr Andrzej Prusiński ◽  
Marcin Dąbrowski
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Research Reactor ◽  
Nuclear Research ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Fuel Conversion ◽  
National Centre ◽  
Uranium Fuel ◽  
Integrated Risk ◽  
Enriched Uranium ◽  
Global Threat

Poland, when acceded to GTRI (Global Threat Reduction Initiative) in 2004, has committed to convert the nuclear fuel of the Research Reactor MARIA, operated by the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Świerk. The conversion means giving up of high enriched uranium fuel containing 36% of U-235, which was used so far, and replacing it with the low enriched uranium fuel (19.7% U-235). This article describes the potential usability of the Integrated Risk Informed Decision Making (IRIDM) methodology in optimization of the fuel conversion procedure.

scholarly journals Innovative and safe supply of fuels for reactors

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Stéphane Valance ◽  
Bruno Baumeister ◽  
Winfried Petry ◽  
Jan Höglund
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Research Reactor ◽  
Fissile Material ◽  
Nuclear Fuels ◽  
Research Reactors ◽  
Enriched Uranium ◽  
Performance Research ◽  
And Training

Within the Euratom research and training program 2014–2018, three projects aiming at securing the fuel supply for European power and research reactors have been funded. Those three projects address the potential weaknesses – supplier diversity, provision of enriched fissile material – associated with the furbishing of nuclear fuels. First, the ESSANUF project, now terminated, resulted in the design and licensing of a fuel element for VVER-440 nuclear power plant manufactured by Westinghouse. The HERACLES-CP project aimed at preparing the conversion of high performance research reactor to low enriched uranium fuels by exploring fuels based on uranium-molybdenium. Finally, the LEU-FOREvER pursues the work initiated in HERACLES-CP, completing it by an exploration of the high-density silicide fuels, and including the diversification of fuel supplier for soviet designed European medium power research reactor. This paper describes the projects goals, structure and their achievements.

Special Issue on 2nd Japan-France Congress on Mechatronics

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-195
Author(s):  
Seiji Hata ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Current Status ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Japan Society ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Precision Engineering ◽  
Ordinary Life ◽  
The Past ◽  
Poster Sessions ◽  
The World ◽  
Before And After

Following the I st congress in Besancon in 1992, the 2nd Japan-France Congress on Mechatronics was held at Takamatsu City in Japan from November 1 to 3, 1994. The congress was co-sponsored by Kagawa University, the Japan Society for Precision Engineering, and l'Institut des Microtechniques de Franche-Comte. A total of 282 persons participated in the congress, 49 from France, 209 from Japan, and 24 from other countries including China, U.S., Turkey, Korea, and Switzerland. Researchers and engineers from a total of 15 countries participated in the congress. The congress continues to become more international and exciting. There are six sessions at the congress. The session names and the number of the papers belonging to each are as follows: (1) Mechatronics, 33 papers; (2) Robotics, 53 papers; (3) Sensors, 26 papers; (4) Vision, 33 papers; (5) Microelectro Mechanical Systems, 20 papers; and (6) CIM & Systems, 21 papers. The total number of papers 186. Additionally, three keynote speakers discussed the current status and future of the mechatronics technologies. The papers were presented at the oral sessions and the poster sessions. In this special issue, 11 papers from these fields are presented to describe the current technological status in Japan. Takamatsu is charming old city near Osaka. The congress was held at the exhibition center in Intelligent Park in Takamatsu, which was newly developed as the technological center of the area. The congress was held at such a location so that participants from abroad could gain a feel for ordinary life in Japan. In addition to the congress, there were two technical tours before and after the congress. The technical tour to the industries in Takamatsu showed the vivid medium size manufacturers in Japan. It is the another viewpoint contrary to the huge companies of Japan. During the congress, there were warm and friendly technological interactions between Japan and Europe. This should be further encouraged, and more countries should be included in the congress. The 3rd French-Japanese Congress on Mechatronics will be held at Besancon, France in 1996. It will also be the first European-Asia Congress. I hope that many researchers and engineers from all over the world, will participate in the congress and that the warm and friendly atmosphere of the past congress is provided at the next congress.

Sovereignty and Developing Countries: Current Status and Future Prospects at the WTO

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-409
Author(s):  
HANS MAHNCKE
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
World Trade Organization ◽  
World Trade ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Powers

Globalization, as evidenced in increased trade, economic development, and the emergence of new global powers, has meant that the world economy has undergone significant changes over the past two decades. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is more than a potent representation of these developments, it is often seen, along with its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), as having enabled the process of globalization. However, there are profound concerns about what lies ahead in an increasingly complex economic and regulatory setting, in particular for developing countries (DCs).

Between Rescue and Research: An Evaluation after 30 Years of Liberal Metal Detecting in Archaeological Research and Heritage Practice in Denmark

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 704-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andres S. Dobat
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
Metal Detector ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
Danish Experience ◽  
Metal Detectors

Since the early 1980s, metal detector surveying conducted by amateur archaeologists has contributed significantly to archaeological research and heritage practice in Denmark. Here, metal detecting has always been legal, and official stakeholders pursue a liberal model, focusing on cooperation and inclusion rather than confrontation and criminalization. Like no other surveying method since the invention of the shovel, the metal detector has contributed to increasing enormously the amount of data and sites from metal-rich periods. Virtually all of the spectacular and ground-breaking discoveries of the past decades are owed to metal detectors in the hands of amateur archaeologists. And it is these finds and sites that today constitute one of the very foci of archaeological research. This article provides an overview of the current status of liberal metal detector archaeology in Denmark 30 years after its inception, and attempts to identify the reasons why this popular hobby never developed into the problem it has become in other parts of the world. It concludes that the success of the liberal model in Denmark is the result of a very complex interplay of legislative, historical, cultural, and social factors. On this basis, it is discussed whether the Danish experience can be used as a source of inspiration in the necessary progression towards a new legal agenda for responsible metal detector archaeology.

scholarly journals Benchmarking the new ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data library for the first core of Indonesian multipurpose research reactor (RSG GAS)

2020 ◽  
Vol 239 ◽  
pp. 22007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donny Hartanto ◽  
Victor Gillette ◽  
Tagor Malem Sembiring ◽  
Peng Hong Liem
Keyword(s):  
Research Reactor ◽  
Nuclear Data ◽  
Monte Carlo Code ◽  
Kinetics Parameters ◽  
Uranium Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Data Library ◽  
Enriched Uranium ◽  
Data Libraries ◽  
Nuclear Data Libraries ◽  
Data Library

The Indonesian Multipurpose Research Reactor namely Reaktor Serba Guna G.A. Siwabessy (RSG GAS) is a 30 MWth (max.) pool-type reactor loaded with plate-type low-enriched uranium fuel, using light water as coolant and moderator, and beryllium as reflector. The benchmark of the 1st criticality core of RSG GAS using different nuclear data libraries such as JENDL-4.0, JENDL-3.3, ENDF/B-VII.0, and JEFF-3.1 have been performed in the previous work and compared with the experiment result. In this work, the newly released ENDF/B-VIII.0 neutron reaction and thermal neutron scattering libraries will be used and the important neu-tronics parameters such as multiplication factor, kinetics parameters, and fission reaction rate will be calculated using Monte Carlo code MCNP6.2 and compared against the previous work and the experiment result.

Maintaining Identity

2030 ◽  
2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rutger van Santen ◽  
Djan Khoe ◽  
Bram Vermeer
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Early Adolescence ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Modern Life ◽  
Story Line ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Machine Operator

Baroness Susan Greenfield’s origins are humbler than her title might suggest. Her father was a machine operator in an industrial neighbour-hood of London. In Britain, unlike many other countries, it is possible to earn a peerage through your own merits rather than pure heredity. Lady Greenfield is a leading world authority on the human brain. She is concerned that technology has invaded our lives so profoundly that it has begun to affect the way our brains operate and hence our very personalities. “People are longing for experiences rather than searching for meaning,” she says. “They live more in the moment and have less of a sense of the narrative of their lives—of continuity. They lack a sense of having a beginning, a middle, and an end. They have less of a feeling that they are developing an identity throughout their life with a continuing story line from childhood, youth, parenthood, to grandparenthood. The emphasis is more on process than content. You now have people who are much more ‘sensitive’ rather than ‘cognitive.’ ” Susan Greenfield identifies one of the causes of this development as the impressions our brains receive from a very early age. Modern life, she argues, with its hectic rhythm of visual impressions is very different from the past, in which she includes her own childhood in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s in our youth that our brains are shaped: They grow like mad during the first 2 years of life, developing a maze of connections. And in the years that follow, they remain extremely nimble, forming new connections rapidly and changing in response to our surroundings. It is very much the world around us during infancy, childhood, and early adolescence that determines the outcome of this stage of brain formation. The brain displays an immense degree of what Greenfield likes to call “plasticity” during this stage; connections are formed as and when they are needed. The foundations of Baroness Greenfield’s own personality were laid in a similar way during her youth.

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