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At least 955 records · Page 53

RELAP5-3D Solutions to Exercise 1 of the OECD-NEA HTTF Benchmark

The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is an advanced reactor concept that has received considerable attention over the last 60 years. HTGRs boast high coolant outlet temperatures, passive safety, and large margins to fuel failure. Recent years have seen increasing interest in HTGRs, whether large-scale HTGRs for electricity or process heat applications or as microreactors serving remote communities. HTGRs have considerable potential to fulfill these applications, but modeling and simulation tools typically used for reactor safety analysis have not been validated for HTGR modeling. The High-Temperature Test Facility (HTTF) was constructed at Oregon State University (OSU) to provide validation data for HTGR modeling. Recently, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), OSU, Argonne National Laboratory, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville have collaborated to develop an HTGR thermal hydraulics benchmark based on HTTF experiments. This summary presents results from a portion of that benchmark using RELAP5-3D

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

2020 LANL Contributions to the BATS Test in WIPP

The DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) repository research and development program seeks to provide a sound technical basis for multiple viable disposal options, increase confidence in the robustness of generic disposal concepts, and develop science and engineering tools needed to support disposal concept implementation. Sandia, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Berkeley National labs are conducting research into salt, which includes the Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS) field test at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a DOE Office of Environmental Management facility. BATS is leveraging the existing infrastructure associated with the WIPP to advance science informing generic disposal concepts. BATS is an ongoing heated borehole experiment being conducted in the WIPP underground. The goal of this experiment is to reduce the uncertainty associated with spent nuclear fuel disposition in geologic salt formations. The BATS experiments is designed to accomplish this by increasing our understanding of brine migration in salt, assessing damaged zones from mining and drilling, simulating a post-closure environment, confirming salt properties, and providing data for model validation. Phased testing for generic salt repository R&D was proposed in 2015. Subsequently, borehole thermal testing was developed as a first step in this process. This document summarizes the work conducted on the BATS experiment during fiscal year 2020 with an emphasis on the contributions by Los Alamos National Lab.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

In-situ Detection of Glovebox Glove Degradation Prior to Glove Failure; Effects on Safety, Waste, and Operational Costs - 20402

Glovebox glove pressure decay leak testing and analysis of the data can greatly improve glovebox safety, minimize Transuranic (TRU) glove waste, and minimize operational cost. It is well known, the weakest point of containment on a glovebox is the glove. Mitigating unplanned openings in gloves is critical to minimizing operational and safety costs in glovebox operations. Mitigating unplanned glove openings due to glove failures will be discussed in this paper. The lack of an engineered solution to determine a gloves operational life in nuclear operations, has lead to use of theoretical and manual subjective methods to determine the life and safety of a glovebox glove. Whether the glove is inspected visually prior to use, or gloves are changed regularly to theoretically avoid failure, both the operators PPE and the room are being exposed to contamination, or un-necessary amounts of TRU glove waste are being generated. Millions of dollars yearly in operational costs are spent on glove failures due to loss of production, incident analysis, regulatory audits, clean up, and paperwork. In a nuclear application, a glove failure could contaminate an operator and laboratory, shut down the operation for weeks, potentially create a regulatory audit, and potentially create a media frenzy; the damages to the organization can be astronomical. Elimination of glove failures is possible by tracking glove material degradation and setting limits to allow glove change when it becomes necessary, prior to glove failure. Analytical pressure decay leak testing allows the detection of material degradation, and in turn the ability to limit operational glove failures. A German based company called MK Versuchsanlagen, e.K., has developed an advanced Glove Integrity Testing System. The system, with its use of proprietary RFID and special software technology, is unique in its capabilities. The system is capable to perform highly accurate regular glove testing on any size glovebox line in minimal time. The system records and can analyze a tremendous amount of system data that in turn can determine, for example, a safe glove change time prior to a glove material failure. This paper will show how an advanced Glove Integrity Testing System can detect glove material degradation and help determine a safe change point prior to glove failure. Pressure decay curves of new gloves and recorded effects of accelerated aging on the glove over time will be shown. The use of this technology in nuclear facilities can greatly improve glovebox operational safety, minimize glovebox glove TRU waste, and save organizations tremendous costs in downtime, clean up, documentation, and potential regulatory review. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Neutrino Scattering Studies in MicroBooNE

A good understanding of the cross sections for neutrino interactions with nucleons and nuclei is crucial for neutrino oscillation studies, in addition to providing a tool for the exploration of nucleon and nuclear structures. The MicroBooNE liquid-argon time-projection-chamber (LArTPC) experiment has been taking neutrino data with the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab since 2015. The LArTPC capabilities in track reconstruction, energy measurement, and particle identification allow us to probe interesting regions of neutrino-argon scattering cross sections and to probe the quark composition of the nucleon and test models of nuclear structure and final-state interactions. We present the current status of several on-going MicroBooNE cross section analyses, as well as plans for future measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Joint tests at INL and CEA of a transient hot wire needle probe for in-pile thermal conductivity measurement

Thermal conductivity is a key property that must be known for proper design, testing, and deployment of new fuels and structural materials in nuclear reactors. Thermal conductivity is highly dependent on the physical structure, chemical composition, and the state of the material. Typically, thermal conductivity changes that occur during irradiation are currently measured out-of-pile using a 'cook and look' approach. But repeatedly removing samples from a test reactor to make measurements is expensive, has the potential to disturb phenomena of interest, and only provides understanding of the sample's end state when each measurement is made. There are also limited thermo-physical property data available for advanced fuels; and such data are needed for simulation codes, the development of next generation reactors, and advanced fuels for existing nuclear plants. Being able to quickly characterize fuel thermal conductivity during irradiation can improve the fidelity of data, reduce costs of post-irradiation examinations, increase understanding of how fuels behave under irradiation, and confirm or improve existing thermal conductivity measurement techniques. This paper discusses efforts to develop and evaluate an innovative in-pile thermal conductivity sensor based on the transient hot wire thermal conductivity method (THWM), using a single needle probe (NP) containing a line heat source and thermocouple embedded in the fuel. The sensor that has been designed and manufactured by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) includes a unique combination of materials, geometry, and fabrication techniques that make the hot wire method suitable for in-pile applications. In particular, efforts were made to minimize the influence of the sensor and maximize fuel hot-wire heating. The probe has a thermocouple-like construction with high temperature resistant materials that remain ductile while resisting transmutation and materials interactions. THWM-NP prototypes were fabricated for both room temperature proof-of-concept evaluations and high temperature testing. Evaluations have been performed jointly by the INL and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), both in Idaho Falls (USA) and in Cadarache (France), in the framework of a collaborative program for instrumentation of Material Testing Reactors. Initial tests were conducted on samples with a large range of thermal conductivities and temperatures ranging from 20 deg. C to 600 deg. C. Particularly, tests were recently performed on a sample having thermal conductivity and dimensions similar to UO{sub 2} and MOX nuclear fuels, in order to validate the ability of this sensor to operate for in-pile characterization of Light Water Reactors fuels. The results of the tests already completed at INL and CEA indicate that the Transient Hot Wire Needle Probe offers an enhanced method for in-pile detection of thermal conductivity. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Optical transmission and dimensional stability of single-crystal sapphire after high-dose neutron irradiation at various temperatures up to 688 °C

The use of single-crystal sapphire optical fibers has been considered to extend fiber-optic sensing to the extreme temperature (>1000 °C) environments encountered in nuclear applications. However, before these sapphire fiber–based sensors can be deployed, their optical transmission and dimensional stability (which impacts drift of some sensors) must be characterized under representative testing conditions. Data regarding the optical transmission of sapphire following high-dose neutron irradiation at temperatures >100 °C is extremely limited. This work provides measurements of optical density (i.e., attenuation) and directional dimensional changes in bulk single-crystal sapphire materials irradiated to a fast neutron fluence of 2.4 × 10 21 n/cm 2 (3.5 displacements per atom) at temperatures ranging from 95 to 688 °C. Optical density measured after irradiation at 95 and 298 °C showed ultraviolet and visible absorption bands corresponding to known defect centers and temperature trends that were generally consistent with previous ex situ and in situ measurements made at much lower neutron fluence. However, optical density measured after irradiation at 688 °C was as much as two orders of magnitude higher, indicating that the fundamental mechanism for radiation-induced attenuation changes at this irradiation temperature. Additional analysis and comparison with previous works suggest that the attenuation may result from void formation, leading to increased Rayleigh scattering losses in the material and increased swelling that would also result in drift of Bragg grating-based sensors in sapphire fibers. These results pose serious questions regarding the feasibility of sapphire fiber–based sensors for high-temperature nuclear applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Ricor K508 cryocooler operational experience on Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) landed successfully on Mars on August 5, 2012, eight months after launch. The chosen landing site of Gale Crater, located at 4.5 degrees south latitude, 137.4 degrees east longitude, has provided a much more benign environment than was originally planned for during the critical design and integration phases of the MSL Project when all possible landing sites were still being considered. The expected near-surface atmospheric temperatures at the Gale Crater landing site during Curiosity's primary mission (1 Martian year or 687 Earth days) are from −90°C to 0°C. However, enclosed within Curiosity's thermal control fluid loops the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument is maintained at approximately +20°C. The CheMin instrument uses X-ray diffraction spectroscopy to make precise measurements of mineral constituents of Mars rocks and soil. The instrument incorporated the commercially available Ricor K508 Stirling cycle cryocooler to cool the CCD detector. After several months of brushing itself off, stretching and testing out its subsystems, Curiosity began the exploration of the Mars surface in October 2012. The CheMin instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) received its first soil sample from Curiosity on October 24, and successfully analyzed its first soil sample. After a brief review of the rigorous Ricor K508 cooler qualification tests and life tests based on the original MSL environmental requirements this paper presents final pre-launch instrument integration and testing results, and details the operational data of the CheMin cryocooler, providing a snapshot of the resulting CheMin instrument analytical data.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

MEITNER Resource Team Modeling and Simulation Support to Holos-Quad Reactor Development (Final CRADA Report)

The main objective of this CRADA is to provide Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)’s modeling and simulation capabilities via ARPA-E's MEITNER (Modeling-Enhanced Innovations Trailblazing Nuclear Energy Reinvigoration) Resource Team (RT) arrangement to support the demonstration of the viability of HolosGen’s Holos-Quad reactor design. The Holos-Quad reactor design is an advanced reactor concept that incorporates many new design features, such as the neutron-coupled Subcritical Power Modules (SPMs) in its core design, elimination of balance of plant (BOP) by direct integration of a helium Brayton cycle power conversion system with each SPM, among many other innovative features. The demonstration of the viability of such an innovative reactor design warrants iterations of modeling and simulation and testing. The purpose of this project is to utilize ANL’s modeling and simulation capabilities in nuclear reactor analysis and power conversion system analysis to inform HolosGen and the Design Team (DT) in the design and optimization of the Holos-Quad concept. The major work scopes of this project include: to investigate conceptual designs and materials for radiation shielding to protect personnel and internal components such as turbomachinery; Assess the the helium Brayton cycle power conversion system performance in both nominal and load following conditions; Investigate power conversion components and overall system performance; Identify control strategies to enable load following; Perform simulations of HolosGen’s subscale simulator and using available test data for code validation/benchmark purpose; Perform core thermal-hydraulics, safety analysis, and structural analysis.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Technical Basis: SAVY-4000 Series, 2 qt Container

The 2 qt SAVY nuclear material storage container is the latest in the SAVY-4000 series. The 2 qt design is identical to the 1 qt container, with the exception of an extended, deep-drawn body. Here, a technical basis using engineering equivalency analysis, calculation, and test data is presented to establish that the 2 qt SAVY-4000 Container is a DOE Manual 441.1-1 compliant container and that a fifteen-year design life (as with the currently approved SAVY series) is justified.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Execution of an Alternative Modeling Strategy for Closure of the Rainier Mesa Corrective Action Unit at the Nevada National Security Site - 19099

The Underground Test Area (UGTA) Project of the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating radionuclide contaminant movements in groundwater derived from a decades-long period of underground nuclear testing at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) to support regulatory corrective action and closure requirements. The project is built around an integrated campaign of drilling and sampling, data interpretation, computer modeling, and broader monitoring activities conducted under a joint Federal Facilities Agreement and Consent Order (1996 as amended) (FFACO) between the State of Nevada, the DOE, and the U.S. Department of Defense. The FFACO strategy is applied to individual Corrective Action Units (CAUs) that roughly envelop disparate geographic testing areas at the NNSS. The Rainier Mesa/Shoshone Mountain (RMSM) CAU is a geologically and hydrologically complex system lying in a remote up-gradient section of the NNSS. It was the site of 67 underground tests conducted between 1957 and 1992, 61 at Rainier Mesa proper, and 6 at Shoshone Mountain, isolated to its south. The original strategy to close the RMSM CAU required a simulation-based investigation to define the evolution of contaminated volumes of groundwater (in 3D) under uncertainty as a means to define a surface-projected contaminant boundary and to serve as a basis for longer term monitoring activities. Early models developed under this strategy proved to be quite complex and difficult to calibrate. Additional costs required to better characterize the system were judged to be out of balance with the low risks associated with this particular CAU. As a result, an Alternative Modeling Strategy (AMS) was adopted. The AMS removes the requirement for developing ensembles of 3D simulations and replaces it with a simpler one requiring the generation of multiple 1D streamline models. These are meant to encompass a range of alternative, yet plausible release and transport scenarios as a means to bound the overall lateral extent of contaminant transport. This paper will review the modeling approach developed under the AMS and its application to the Rainier Mesa portion of the CAU. Preliminary model results made under different parametric assumptions and boundary condition scenarios will be presented. Additional refinements of the model and its further application will be discussed. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

ECAR-3727 Baseline Characterization Database Verification Report - NBG-17 Billet 830-3

The purpose of this engineering calculations and analysis report is to present the data being collected in the Baseline Graphite Characterization Program, which is directly tasked with supporting the Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) research and development efforts on the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Program. This program is populating a comprehensive database that will reflect the baseline properties of nuclear-grade graphite with regard to individual grade, billet, and position within individual billets. The physical and mechanical property information being collected will be transferred to the Nuclear Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS), and that database will help populate the handbook of property data available to member nations of the Generation IV International Forum. Transfer of these data from the applicable technical lead to the dissemination databases available to other end users requires a full review of the test procedures and data-collection efforts through an analysis of the multiple summary spreadsheets and values being collected. This report represents the analysis for NBG-17 Billet 830-3 and facilitates release of associated data to the NDMAS custodians.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

ECAR: Baseline Characterization Database Verification Report – PCEA Billet 01D3-35

The purpose of this engineering calculations and analysis report (ECAR) is to present data collected in the Baseline Graphite Characterization Program, which is directly tasked with supporting the Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) research and development efforts on the Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Program. This program populates a comprehensive database that reflects the baseline properties of nuclear-grade graphite with regard to individual grade, billet, and position within individual billets. The physical- and mechanical-property information collected will be transferred to the Nuclear Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS), and that database will help populate the handbook of property data available to member nations of the Generation-IV International Forum. Transfer of these data from the applicable technical lead to the dissemination databases available to other end users requires a full review of the test procedures and data-collection efforts through an analysis of the multiple summary spreadsheets and values being collected. This report represents the analysis for PCEA Billet 01D3-35 and facilitates release of associated data to the NDMAS custodians.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Material Protection, Accounting and Control Technologies (MPACT) Implementation Plan: Lab-Scale Demonstration of Advanced Safeguard and Security Systems

The Materials Protection, Accounting, and Control Technologies (MPACT) campaign is working towards the goal of developing and demonstrating the next generation of nuclear materials management for the peaceful use of civilian nuclear energy. A major milestone of the campaign is the “Lab-scale demonstration of an advanced safeguards and security system,” due in 2020. This implementation plan describes how tools developed in the MPACT campaign will be used to meet this milestone. These tools consist of instrumentation and devices as well as computer software for modelling, simulation and integration of data and information for safeguard and security analysis. The plan is focused on demonstrating an advanced safeguard and security systems for electrochemical processing plants, but also identifies activities needed to address advanced reactor, aqueous processing and other advanced fuel cycle facilities. A key component to achieving the 2020 milestone is the development of a virtual distributed test bed that incorporates the instruments, data, analysis tools, and models currently under development and provides a framework to link and normalize the data in a way that simulates a facility, including uncertainty quantification. This virtual distributed test bed will integrate computer simulated facilities that make up a fuel cycle of interest, with distributed test beds located in actual operating facilities and laboratories. The MPACT campaign recently issued roadmaps for both Modelling & Simulation and Advanced Integration which address this component, and activities necessary to achieve the 2020 milestone. Research, development and testing of specific technologies have been supported by the MPACT campaign in coordination with other DOE-NE and DOE-NNSA programs. These technologies provide the essential data needed by the safeguard and security systems, and feed into the data analysis and facility models. This plan will identify these technologies, their current status and activities needed to demonstrate the technologies at the laboratory scale. Wherever possible, test of technologies in field conditions using suitable nuclear materials will be used to define performance. Where necessary, surrogate materials and/or simulation will be used to provide useful information for the demonstration. When completed, the 2020 milestone will provide a demonstration of advanced safeguard and security technologies, including advanced modelling, simulation and analysis approaches, applied to electrochemical processing. It will also identify applications of the technology and approaches in other advanced fuel cycle and reactor concepts.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Bias Between ENDF/B-VIII and ENDF/B-VII.1 for LEU Pin Array Systems

Extensive testing of new cross section data is performed in SCALE prior to its release. The release of ENDF/B-VIII.0 requires the generation and testing of new data libraries which are planned to be included in the release of SCALE 6.3 in 2019 or 2020. KENO benchmark results have been published previously for beta and final releases of ENDF/B-VIII.0 using the entire Verified, Archived Library of Inputs and Data (VALID). This work presents an energy-dependent change in the results for low-enriched uranium (LEU) pin array systems. The process of identifying the difference is highlighted as a case study to determine how data testing and benchmarking can be performed to provide more detailed feedback to the data community on potential data deficiencies.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Diagnostic and predictive capabilities of the TCR digital platform

The Transformational Challenge Reactor program is leveraging additive manufacturing technologies to fabricate the nuclear components required to assemble a microreactor core. Compared with traditional manufacturing processes, additive manufacturing allows for direct observation of the interior of the component during manufacturing. This unique capability promises significant possibilities for creating a new paradigm for nuclear component qualification by leveraging in-situ process data. This report describes FY21 efforts to predict material tensile properties based on data collected during the laser powder bed fusion printing process. The primary focus of this report is the test campaign designed to generate the large quantities of training data required to implement artificial intelligence algorithms that can predict these material properties. Preliminary prediction results and a demonstration of the overall data collection, analysis, and visualization pipeline are also provided.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Approach to Quality Assurance for Complex Environmental Modeling - 20407

A strong Quality Assurance (QA) program for complex environmental modeling is essential for regulatory and public acceptance and trust, but it does not have to be onerous. Neptune and Company, Inc. (Neptune) has developed a strong QA program that improves transparency, traceability, reproducibility, and therefore, defensibility and trust. Neptune's QA program has evolved over the past 27 years, transitioning from an ad hoc QA program, to a program that is currently Nuclear Quality Assurance-1 (NQA-1) compliant, and will soon be NQA-1/DOE approved for DOE EM modeling work. In addition, Neptune is a qualified laboratory assessor and qualified auditor for reference materials, a proficiency testing provider, and fully complies with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) QA program. Neptune's President and CEO, Kelly Black, was recently named the Chairperson of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 69, Application of Statistical Methods. A strong QA program has been developed for Neptune's radiological performance assessment (PA) program. Although pieces of their QA program are currently in development, their current program includes document control using Subversion, issue tracking and work flow tracking using JIRA, and transparency and traceability via a system of 'calc sheets' for documentation of all data analysis and modeling combined with 'check print' documentation of QA checking, and rigorous model testing and configuration control. All work is reviewed by an independent subject matter expert who is not associated with the collection and assembly of information, for an internal peer review. The program is enforced with a handful of Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs), Work Instructions, QA Project Plans (QAPPs), and Quality Management Plans (QMPs) that are updated frequently, with required annual training and acknowledgment. In addition, effective communication of modeling approaches and results to clients and stakeholders are integral to their QA program. Many of their models are built using the GoldSim modeling platform, for which their models are well-known for their level of transparency, documentation, and QA traceability. This level of QA is also applied to their process-level models. Neptune has taken some lessons learned from the extremely rigorous QA program required for the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP), and imposed the YMP requirements of complete traceability, transparency, and reproducibility, but avoided the inflexibility of a QA program that likely contributed to the suspect e-mails in 2005 that resulted in loss of trust in the YMP, and in nuclear waste disposal (and nuclear power) in general. There are far too many examples of loss of public trust due to poor QA that could have been easily avoided with a simple and straight-forward QA program combined with stakeholder engagement. The purpose of this paper is to share features of Neptune's Radiological Performance Assessment program QA program, and some of their QA related lessons learned over the past 27 years of QA for complex environmental modeling. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Improved Gamma Yield and Interaction Cross-Section Libraries of MC2-3

The MC{sup 2}-3 code developed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has been widely used for multigroup cross section generation for fast reactor design and analysis. The neutron cross sections generated with MC{sup 2}-3 have been validated with various fast critical experiments. The gamma production data and interaction cross sections were also verified with the EBR-II benchmark problem. The current gamma calculation process is based on the 21-group gamma libraries generated with the NJOY code, which does not include the delayed gamma production and does not account for the self-shielding effect on the KERMA (Kinetic Energy Released in Material) factor. In order to improve gamma prediction accuracy, the gamma libraries of MC{sup 2}-3 have recently been extended from 21 to 94 groups, including delayed gamma data and kinetic energy release per reaction data. The latter is used to take into account the self-shielding effect on KERMA factors. Gamma transport calculation capabilities have also been added to MC{sup 2}-3. In this paper, we present the updated data and gamma transport capabilities along with the verification tests with ABTR and EBR-II benchmark problems. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Kilopower Reactor Development and Testing

The Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) was the first nuclear-powered operation of a truly new fission reactor concept in the US in over 40 years. It provided valuable experience and data, demonstrated the passive reactor operation of the Kilopower reactor class, showed that developing a small reactor is not inherently expensive, and demonstrated a space reactor concept that can be used for near-term space science and exploration. KRUSTY/Kilopower is the first step towards truly astounding space fission capabilities

Gibson, Marc↗