Achieving High-Power Configuration in Missouri S&T Reactor (MSTR) for Potential Uprate

Research reactor is a powerful tool because of its wide contribution, almost to each field of science. It’s considered to be an essential element for advancing research, development and improvement in nuclear industry. The main goal of research reactor is to produce neutrons which are beneficially used for a wide range of applications such as industrial, agricultural, medical, etc. Neutron spectrum impact it uses. Commonly, neutrons with low energy level, up to 0.5 eV, called thermal neutrons where neutrons with intermediate energy level, ranging from 0.5 eV to 0.10 MeV, called epithermal resonance neutrons and neutron with high energy level, above 0.10 MeV, called fast neutron. Thermal and epithermal neutrons can be used for a wide range of purposes such as basic irradiation experiments, neutron radiography, radiolysis, neutron activation analysis, low-scale isotope production and etc. Fast neutrons can be used for investigating radiation damages, advance test of materials behavior and large-scale isotope production

The Impact of the State-Level Concept on “Newcomers”: A Case Study of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) latest reports indicate a growing number of states (newcomers) considering the deployment of nuclear energy programs. In developing nuclear infrastructure, newcomers have to employ the prevailing standards to deploy the nuclear program in a secure, safe, and sustainable manner. State-Level Concept (SLC) refers to a comprehensive approach that uses information about a state’s nuclear facilities and capabilities to implement safeguards within the scope of the state’s safeguards agreement. SLC focuses on strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of the safeguards system considering the State as whole. SLC has been implemented in 53 states, and the IAEA is encouraging other states to implement SLC. This paper investigates the influence of SLC on newcomers, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as a case study. The investigation approaches SLC from the newcomer’s perspective, with the aim of determining critical factors impacting newcomers’ successful implementation of SLC. KSA has in force, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) with no Additional Protocol (AP), and Small Quantities Protocol (SQP) and has a small unit for the State System of Accounting for and Control of nuclear material (SSAC). Critical looks at State-level objectives and State-specific factors are employed to reconcile KSA’s outlook with the IAEA’s safeguards framework/agreements. The factors impacting SLC include sufficient cooperation between the IAEA and newcomer states, raised confidence in sensitive nuclear plant management, higher transparency of the civilian nuclear energy program, and improved capabilities of SSAC. For KSA to achieve its initial nuclear capacity (18 GWe) by 2032-40, it is recommended that KSA improve and expand its SSAC to adequately meet safeguard responsibilities. In addition, KSA is encouraged to sign the AP, which enables the IAEA to draw broader safeguard conclusions on nuclear materials and activities. This will foster transparency and long-term nuclear cooperation between KSA and developed states

Low-Power Core Reconfiguration for Missouri S&T Reactor (MSTR)

The Missouri University of Sciences and Technology Reactor (MSTR) is pool-type research reactor which operates up to 200 kilowatt (kW). MSTR used for training and educating nuclear engineering students at Missouri S&T. A several of nuclear researches and irradiation experiments have been conducted in MSTR for example, neutron activation analysis (NAA), neutron radiography, radiolysis, image processing, etc. MSTR initial criticality took place on December 9, 1961. The first power level that MSTR operates at, was 10 kW. The power level alongside the core configuration was upgraded to the current ones, see Fig. 1. MSTR used light-water for moderation and natural convective heat removal. MSTR core consists of 9_6 aluminum array grid plate, nineteen fuel elements, one source holder, a single beam port and three irradiation facilities namely, bare rabbit tube (BRT), cadmium rabbit tube (CRT) and hot cell (HC)

Analysis of the Developing States in the MENA Region Seeking Civilian Nuclear Energy, with a Primary Focus on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The comprehensive analysis presented here attempts to ana­lyze “newcomer” states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), primarily the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Unit­ed Arab Emirates (UAE), seeking to implement civilian nuclear energy according to their political and economic situations. By investigating their motivations and funding resources for fu­ture nuclear projects, this analysis provides guidance for these states in terms of their nuclear infrastructure and nonprolifera­tion. The overall approach of this analysis relies on the factors for the success of civilian nuclear energy programs identified in experiential studies conducted since the Atoms for Peace speech in 1953.This study also attempts to reduce the gap between developing and developed states by clarifying the ma­jor challenges involved in nuclear cooperation and technology transferal. Since the 1980s, the MENA region has experienced vari­ous crises, including the Iraq-Iran War, the Gulf War, terrorist attacks, the Arab Spring, and the Islamic State (IS).However, the two states analyzed here have maintained stable politi­cal environments without disturbances to their governmental systems. Moreover, from an economic viewpoint, both states have high revenue from oil and gas production and high oil reserves (more than 20 percent of the world’s proven oil re­serves).Regarding their motivation for seeking civilian nuclear energy, these states are attempting to address their estimated 8-9 percent annual increase in electricity demand, rapid popula­tion growth, and the need for more desalination plants. By im­plementing nuclear energy programs, these newcomer states will face challenges related to their nuclear strategy, roadmap, infrastructure, and human resources. To address these chal­lenges, the newcomer states will have to secure intense for­eign cooperation by signing nuclear agreements with devel­oped states and showing a clear record of compliance with nuclear nonproliferation commitments, such as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements (CSA), and the Additional Protocol (AP), which will raise the transparency of the civilian nuclear program

Toward Transparency and Broader Safeguards Conclusion: A Closer Look at the Proposed Saudi’s Civilian Nuclear Power Program

The higher the transparency of any civilian nuclear power program, the higher the chance of attracting and securing the long-term foreign nuclear cooperation. For newcomer states, securing nuclear cooperation is essential for successful deployment and implementation of nuclear power program. Complying with an acceptable types of safeguards commitment/protocols plays a major role in increasing transparency. The determination of transparency primarily relies on the presence of sensitive nuclear isotopes–as defined under IAEA’s safeguards–with a nuclear facility. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is considering the deployment of civilian nuclear power program with a projected nuclear capacity ~18 gigawatt-electric (GWe) by 2032-40. The goals of this paper were the quantification of the sensitive nuclear isotopes (primarily plutonium) that will be produced within the prospective KSA nuclear facilities up to 2040 and the estimation of the uranium fuel requirements. Two scenarios were analyzed. Scenario-I: two reactors are operational started by 2022 and one reactors are added each year subsequently until the intended 11 reactors are deployed. Scenario-II is like Scenario-I, but only one reactor is added each two years subsequent to the deployment of the first 2 reactors in 2022. Simulation of EPR operation was performed from beginning of life to equilibrium cycle using Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP6) code. A 2-year cycle length was assumed. The proposed KSA civilian nuclear power program would require 5766 and 4585 tonnes of cumulative uranium by 2040 for Scenario-I and Scenario-II respectively. The discharged fuel (assuming full power at 90% capacity factor) would contain 17.6 and 13 tonnes of cumulative 239Pu along with 21.4 and 15.9 tonnes of cumulative total plutonium by 2040 for Scenario-I and Scenario-II respectively. A primary concern related to transparency is the ability and readiness of KSA to handle these quantities of special nuclear material under internationally acceptable safeguards protocols as the planed nuclear power program expands. It’s recommended that KSA have AP in place well before 2040 to enable IAEA draw the broader safeguards conclusion which definitely will raise the confidence of the international community

Diseño y construcción de una pico central hidroeléctrica en la hostería “Los Llanganates” ubicada en el sector Las Carmelitas en el kilómetro 65 de la carretera Salcedo - Tena para generar energía eléctrica limpia

La energía eléctrica se ha convertido en las últimas décadas en una de las fuentes muy necesarias para el vivir diario de la humanidad, para tener una fuente constante de energía es necesario emprender una serie de procesos para la generación eléctrica, los cuales podemos clasificarlos en renovables y no renovables. Pero en este trabajo investigativo práctico, daremos más énfasis en la generación de tipo hidráulica mediante la utilización de mecanismos que se adapten al medio en donde se desarrolla la parte práctica

Cholera in endemic districts in Uganda during El Niño rains: 2002 – 2003

Background: El Niño phenomenon causing increased rainfall and flooding has been linked to flare ups and emergence of several disease outbreaks including cholera. The latter has been reported in many districts in Uganda in recent years. Therefore an understanding of factors influencing its pattern of occurrence is needed for effective control. Objectives: To determine cholera disease status during six months of El Niño rains and assess serotypes and antibiotic sensitivity of isolates. Methods: A prospective study was conducted in five cholera “endemic districts” in Uganda. Results: Cholera outbreaks occurred in all the study districts coincident with the onset of the El Niño rains. There were 924 cholera suspect cases reported with 95 fatalities (case fatality rate 10.3%). A total of 388 clinical specimens were analyzed by culture and of these, 168 were positive for V. cholerae. Biochemical and serological analysis identified the isolates as V. choleraem O1, biotype EL Tor serotype Ogawa. Antibiotic sensitivity revealed that isolates were 100% sensitive to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and erythromycin, whereas sensitivity was variable for other tested antibiotics. Unlike Kampala, where the disease was contained within three months, persistence occurred in other districts only dying out with end of El Niño rains, suggesting differences in disease control. Conclusion: These results show that El Niño rains cause increase in the number of cholera cases in Uganda, calling for preparedness and a need to emulate Kampala response incase of outbreaks in other districts. African Health Sciences Vol. 6(2) 2006: 93-9

La utilización del modelo tradicional conductista en el desarrollo de la comprensión lectora de los niños de preparatoria de la Unidad Educativa Luis Telmo Paz y Miño, en el período académico 2020 - 2021.

The present research work aims to develop lexical awareness through the use of images for reading comprehension in high school children of the “Luis Telmo Paz y Miño” Intercultural Bilingual Educational Unit in the 2020-2021 school year. The particularity of this research, allowed to influence the problems that boys and girls present in reading comprehension, for this innovative activities were proposed that allowed to improve the quality of teaching, designing a guide of methodological strategies for the resolution of the indicated problem. It is a descriptive study because it describes the teaching methodology in the acquisition of reading comprehension and lexical awareness skills in high school boys and girls, it has a qualitative and quantitative approach, it is cross-sectional. To obtain the information, different instruments were applied such as: surveys applied to teachers and parents of the institution, a checklist to see the progress of reading comprehension in children. From this perspective, the main purpose of this research is to implement a didactic guide of activities in order to offer a pedagogical and didactic tool to teachers, students and parents, which facilitates their educational work, optimizes time and their time develop in each of the students lexical awareness, which is essential to improve reading comprehension. After having carried out the corresponding analysis, it was obtained as a result that 96% of the students have achieved the required learning (A). Therefore, it is concluded that reading comprehension strategies responded to the needs and interests of each of the children, allowing them to be able to make value judgments, solve their own problems and contribute to society.El presente trabajo de investigación tiene como objetivo desarrollar la conciencia léxica mediante la utilización de imágenes para la comprensión lectora en los niños de preparatoria de la Unidad Educativa Intercultural Bilingüe “Luis Telmo Paz y Miño” en el año lectivo 2020-2021. La particularidad de esta investigación, permitió incidir en la problemática que presentan los niños y niñas en la comprensión lectora, para esto se propuso actividades innovadoras que permitieron mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza, diseñando una guía de estrategias metodológicas para la resolución del problema señalado. Es un estudio descriptivo porque describe la metodología de la enseñanza en la adquisición de las habilidades de comprensión lectora y conciencia léxica en los niños y niñas de preparatoria, tiene un enfoque cualitativo y cuantitativo, es de corte transversal. Para obtener la información se aplicaron diferentes instrumentos como: encuestas aplicadas a docentes y padres de familia de la institución, lista de cotejo para ver el avance de la comprensión lectora en los niños. Desde esta perspectiva el principal propósito que tiene la presente investigación es implementar una guía didáctica de actividades con el fin de ofrecer una herramienta pedagógica y didáctica a los docentes, estudiantes y padres de familia, que les facilite el quehacer educativo, optimice el tiempo y a su vez desarrolle en cada uno de los estudiantes la conciencia léxica, lo cual es indispensables para mejorar la comprensión lectora. Después de haber realizado el análisis correspondiente se obtuvo como resultado que el 96 % de los estudiantes han alcanzado los aprendizajes requeridos (A). Por tanto, se concluye que las estrategias de comprensión lectora, respondió a las necesidades e interés de cada uno de los niños, permitiéndoles que sean capaces de emitir juicios de valor, resuelvan sus propios problemas y aporten a la sociedad

Estudio de la Dispersión en Campo del Macho estéril de la Mosca del Mediterráneo (ceratitis capitata) en la Provincia de Tungurahua en el periodo marzo – agosto 2019.

The present investigation evaluated the release of the sterile male Mediterranean fruit fly in two localities: Puñapi in Canton Patate and Quillán in Canton Píllaro in Tungurahua province, with the intention of determining its behavior and the climatic factors that influence its dispersion and distribution. In order to measure behavior, the frequencies of the habits of sterile insects were measured. As a result, a directional pattern towards the Northwest showed a greater concentration of captures at distances of 50 and 150 meters. It was concluded that in both localities, the most influential factors in the dispersal process of C. Capitata W, were mainly wind speed and direction, which favors the species to reach considerable ranges of dispersion and infested hosts. The obtained results constitute a contribution to the knowledge of the habits of the species, which must favor the optimization of the resources used in the control of the pest, on having allowed the elaboration of strategies with scientific foundations.La presente investigación evaluó la liberación del macho estéril de la mosca de la fruta del mediterráneo en dos localidades: Puñapi del Cantón Patate y Quillán del Cantón Píllaro en la provincia de Tungurahua, con la intención de determinar su comportamiento y los factores climáticos que influyen en su dispersión y distribución. Para medir el comportamiento se midió las frecuencias de los hábitos de los insectos estériles. Teniendo como resultados, un patrón direccional hacia el Noroeste manifestándose una mayor concentración de capturas a distancias de 50 y 150 metros. Se concluyó que, en las dos localidades, los factores de mayor influencia en el proceso dispersivo de C. Capitata W., fueron principalmente la velocidad y dirección del viento, la cual favorece que la especie alcance rangos considerables de dispersión y hospederos infestados. Los resultados obtenidos constituyen una contribución al conocimiento de los hábitos de la especie, los cuales han de favorecer la optimización de los recursos empleados en el control de la plaga, al permitir la elaboración de estrategias con fundamentos científicos

Fission Product Impact Reduction via Protracted In-core Retention in Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Transmutation Scenarios

The closure of the nuclear fuel cycle is a topic of interest in the sustainability context of nuclear energy. The implication of such closure includes considerations of nuclear waste management. This originates from the fact that a closed fuel cycle requires recycling of useful materials from spent nuclear fuel and discarding of non-usable streams of the spent fuel, which are predominantly the fission products. The fission products represent the near-term concerns associated with final geological repositories for the waste stream. Long-lived fission products also contribute to the long-term concerns associated with such repository. In addition, an ultimately closed nuclear fuel cycle in which all actinides from spent nuclear fuels are incinerated will result in fission products being the only source of radiotoxicity. Hence, it is desired to develop a transmutation strategy that will achieve reduction in the inventory and radiological parameters of significant fission products within a reasonably short time. In this dissertation, a transmutation strategy involving the use of the VHTR is developed. A set of specialized metrics is developed and applied to evaluate performance characteristics. The transmutation strategy considers six major fission products: 90Sr, 93Zr, 99Tc, 129I, 135Cs and 137Cs. In this approach, the unique core features of VHTRs operating in equilibrium fuel cycle mode of 405 effective full power days are used for transmutation of the selected fission products. A 30 year irradiation period with 10 post-irradiation cooling is assumed. The strategy assumes no separation of each nuclide from its corresponding material stream in the VHTR fuel cycle. The optimum locations in the VHTR core cavity leading to maximized transmutation of each selected nuclides are determined. The fission product transmutation scenarios are simulated with MCNP and ORIGEN-S. The results indicate that the developed fission product transmutation strategy offers an excellent potential approach for the reduction of inventories and radiological parameters, particularly for long-lived fission products (93Zr, 99Tc, 129I and 135Cs). It has been determined that the in-core transmutation of relatively short-lived fission products (90Sr and 137Cs) has minimal advantage over a decay-only scenario for these nuclides. It is concluded that the developed strategy is a viable option for the reduction of radiotoxicity contributions of the selected fission products prior to their final disposal in a geological repository. Even in the cases where the transmutation advantage is minimal, it is deemed that the improvement gained, coupled with the virtual storage provided for the fission products during the irradiation period, makes the developed fission product transmutation strategy advantageous in the spent fuel management scenarios. Combined with the in-core incineration options for TRU, the developed transmutation strategy leads to potential achievability of engineering time scales in the comprehensive nuclear waste management