Most of us recall Donald Trump's scathing remarks about the "China virus," a misnomer he used to purposefully alienate an entire culture and cause more division and hatred during this global pandemic. We don't label viruses by the nation where they begin. There are dozens of viruses that could be dubbed the "United States virus," but that's not how we combat a deadly illness. It's definitely not how we create a unified effort to do to it, either.
“Shadow corrosion” affects the zirconium alloy (Zircaloy) used to clad nuclear fuel rods. This creates images of nearby parts on their surface. The damage is a thicker layer of zirconium oxide similar to a layer of rust on steel. It looks like the shadow of the neighboring part had been imprinted on the Zircaloy. It can also create pinholes in the Zircaloy cladding layer on the fuel rods.
Part 1 of 2 Parts
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) is dedicated to help our domestic nuclear industry demonstrate their advanced reactor designs on accelerated time schedules. It is hoped that this will ultimately help us build a competitive fleet of new U.S. reactors that will offer significant improvements over today’s technology.
Westinghouse has submitted a pre-application regulatory engagement plan (REP) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its eVinci microreactor. The submission details the planning pre-licensing application interactions with the regulator. An REP aids reactor developers’ early interactions with NRC staff.
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Just rebranding nuclear power reactors as “Small Modular” (SMRs) or “Advanced” reactors will have no impact on the decline of nuclear power. Their smaller units may cost less but they produce less power.