Necessity for Nuclear Power You may know that Sputnik was the first satellite in space and that Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon. Those facts are common knowledge for many, but the facts on another space-related milestone is not as well known: the name of the first nuclear powered satellite launched into…
In 2006, the Department of Energy sought a way to obtain excess plutonium from around the world in the safest and quickest way possible. The Savannah River Site, with more than 70 years of experience with plutonium, was the answer. Through the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Material Management and Minimization (NA-232), or M3…
Savannah River National Laboratory has access to the only irradiated target assemblies containing a rare isotope ideal for use as a certified reference material used in nuclear forensics related applications. Called Mk-18 targets, they contain plutonium-244 — a very rare and extremely important material that can be used to support nuclear nonproliferation applications. For decades…
Spectroscopy is a scientific process used to identify the characteristics of nuclear material when light interacts with the sample. The Laser Spectroscopy Team within Savannah River National Laboratory’s (SRNL) Global Security Directorate (GSD) support vital nonproliferation efforts by analyzing a sample to reveal critical information such as the production conditions inside a reactor, material purification…
Since coming on board in January 2023, Anthony Belian, Ph.D., the director of the Savannah River National Laboratory’s (SRNL) Nonproliferation Applied Science Center (NASC) has been working on refining and shaping its vision and mission. He is leading the NASC’s efforts in advancing nonproliferation research and development to reduce security concerns, modernizing nonproliferation concepts to…
Rare plutonium isotope (Pu-244) might not be seen again on Earth if not for important SRNL mission For decades the Savannah River Site (SRS) has stored irradiated MK-18 target assemblies, produced in SRS nuclear reactors during the Cold War. A 2014 National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) sponsored collaboration between SRNL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory…
The Actinide Science and Engineering Testbed (ASET) at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) plays a key role in the Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Nonproliferation Stewardship Program (NSP), as part of the Athena plutonium program. The NSP seeks to ensure foundational technical competencies at DOE/NNSA are sustained and available to support…