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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
2021 ANS Winter Meeting and Technology Expo
November 30–December 3, 2021
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Sep 2021
Jul 2021
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2021
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2021
Latest News
Matthew Denman: On Probabilistic Risk Assessment
Matthew Denman
Probabilistic risk assessment is a systematic methodology for evaluating risks associated with a complex engineered technology such as nuclear energy. PRA risk is defined in terms of possible detrimental outcomes of an activity or action, and as such, risk is characterized by three quantities: what can go wrong, the likelihood of the problem, and the resulting consequences of the problem.
Matthew Denman is principal engineer for reliability engineering at Kairos Power and the chair of the American Nuclear Society and American Society of Mechanical Engineers Joint Committee on Nuclear Risk Management’s Subcommittee of Standards Development. As a college student at the University of Florida, Denman took a course on PRA but didn’t enjoy it, because he did not see its connection to the nuclear power industry. Later, during his Ph.D. study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his advisor was Neil Todreas, a well-known thermal hydraulics expert. Todreas was working on a project with George Apostolakis, who would leave MIT to become a commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The project, “Risk Informing the Design of the Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor,” was a multi-university effort funded through a Department of Energy Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) grant. Todreas and Apostolakis were joined in this project by a who’s who of nuclear academia, including Andy Kadak (MIT, ANS past president [1999–2000]), Mike Driscoll (MIT), Mike Golay (MIT), Mike Lineberry (Idaho State University, former ANS treasurer), Rich Denning (Ohio State University), and Tunc Aldemir (Ohio State University).
The Nuclear PE Exam Preparation Module Program is a video-based preparation tool aimed at those preparing to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam in Nuclear Engineering. The modules are instructional with an abundance of fully worked example problems to emphasize practical learning. A list of Learning Objectives is given at the end of the video, which maps to the NCEES nuclear exam specification.
The module program is organized according to the five specification areas (listed in the downloadable exam specification) that make up the Nuclear PE exam, plus a general area that provides background information that may be applicable to multiple areas:
Notice: This program is under construction. The content listing is tentative but gives an approximation of the material covered by the program. Users may purchase segments of the program one specification area at a time, or users may purchase the full program at a discount.
Every effort has been made to make these videos as time-insensitive as possible. However, certain references (most notably the PE Nuclear Reference Handbook) are living documents that undergo frequent updates. All figure numbers, table numbers, page numbers, etc., are accurate as of the time of production, but please be aware that such references may change over time. If you spot an error, please notify us.
A list of contributors can be found on the project credits page. More resources for prospective exam takers can be found on the Nuclear PE Exam Preparation page.
Prior to purchase, you can view a list of Learning Objectives to see what material is covered in each module.
Upon purchase, the modules are accessed by clicking the titles below to expand the contents menu. Each specification area contains videos on multiple topics. Simply click each title to access the videos within each topic.
