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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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India’s PFBR attains criticality at last
Prime Minister Narendra Modi proclaimed it “a proud moment for India” when on April 6 the 500-MWe, sodium-cooled Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) achieved initial criticality. This milestone, which comes some 22 years after the continually delayed PFBR project began, marks India’s entrance into the second stage of its three-stage nuclear program, which has the ultimate goal of supporting the country’s nuclear power program with its significant thorium reserves.
Technical Session|Panel|Sponsored by NCSD
Monday, June 14, 2021|1:00–2:45PM EDT
Session Chair:
Deborah A. Hill
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
James C. Bunsen
Staff Producer:
Erica McGowan (ANS)
Fundamental to the successful operation of any nuclear site is a first-class safety culture that strives to continually improve in response to good industry practices and operating experience feedback. The first speaker will provide insight on some critical experiment accidents at Los Alamos in the 1940s, particularly with regards to how the lessons learned are equally applicable to nuclear criticality safety practices in the modern era. This will be followed by an informal panel discussion on other lessons learned over the past few decades, including an opportunity for audience questions.
James Baker
Spectra Tech, Inc.
Ron Knief
Sandia National Laboratories
Richard Malenfant
Los Alamos National Laboratory - Retired
Andrew Prichard
Retired
Robert Wilson
U.S. Department of Energy
James Bunsen
LANL
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