Howard Recognized with American Nuclear Society Honor
PNNL’s Rob Howard received the 2022 Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Award from the American Nuclear Society.
New Consortium Tackles Students, STEM, and Radiation Studies
Advancing the science of radiation, especially among students at minority-serving institutions, is the goal of one of the Department of Energy’s newest consortia.
New Watts Bar Reactor Gets Green Light for Operations
On October 22, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)granted Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) Watts Bar Nuclear Generating Station a 40-year operating license for its new Unit 2 reactor. This is the first nuclear reactor to be granted an operating license by the NRC in two decades.
Corrosion Cracking: When Does it Really Start?
Pressurized water nuclear reactors in the United States generate about 13 percent of U.S. electricity. Though efficient, these reactors face a unique challenge with stress corrosion cracking (SCC). This type of corrosion is one of the primary life-limiting degradation mechanisms of nickel-base alloy pressure boundary components, such as instrumentation and control rod nozzles, the welds that attach these nozzles to the reactor vessel, and welds that connect feedwater piping to the reactor vessel. As interest grows in a more sustainable and efficient fleet of nuclear reactors across the world, there is increasing interest in characterizing SCC initiation response.
Wet Aluminum Hydroxide and Oxyhydroxide Particles Release Hydrogen When Irradiated
Vitrifying nuclear waste for storage is complicated by aluminum and understanding this behavior is vital. Research suggests that upon radiolysis, the properties of humid aluminum particles do not change substantially but hydrogen is formed.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Visits PNNL
NRC Chair Christopher Hanson tours the nondestructive examination laboratories and learns more about PNNL’s broad support to the NRC mission.
Reduced Nitrogen Oxide Emissions from Industrial Vehicles Ahead
A new discovery by PNNL researchers has illuminated a previously unknown key mechanism that could inform the development of new, more effective catalysts for abating NOx emissions from combustion-engines burning diesel or low carbon fuel.