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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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ORNL–General Atomics partnership on ceramic matrix composites
A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) with the objective of working together on advanced ceramic matrix composite materials for applications in extreme environments. Materials that can withstand extreme temperatures, radiation, corrosion, and mechanical stress are required in aerospace, defense, energy, and other sectors.
According to the agreement, the San Diego–based GA-EMS will use resources from ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility to develop “scalable, efficient manufacturing techniques for extreme environment materials including precursors, fibers, composites, and coatings utilized in carbon/carbon (C/C), carbon/silicon carbide (C/SiC), and SiC/SiC composite systems.”
Technical Session|Panel|Fuel Management
Tuesday, July 22, 2025|10:00AM–12:05PM EDT|Bay Room
Session Chair:
John C. Hannah
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
Baxter Durham
The next few years bring the exciting prospect of new reactor designs achieving commercial operation with a diversity of technology and quantity that has not been seen for decades. With this new opportunity comes an old challenge - initial core design. These designs tend to be distinct from standard reloads in their fuel composition, which can lead to cycle-specific safety analysis and core management constraints. The fuel in initial cores must also support a range of new reactor commissioning and startup testing that can add requirements for flexibility and robustness through the first cycle of operation. At the same time, these startup tests provide a unique opportunity for validation of core management code systems through comparisons of model predictions against measured results. This panel will provide an opportunity to learn from recent experience in developing and implementing initial core designs and startup testing campaigns through a series of short presentations followed by a question and answer session.
John Hannah
Global Nuclear Fuel
Westinghouse Electric Co.
Lauren Schweitzer
Dwayne Fitts
Framatome
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Attachment — Baxter
Attachment — Actually Lauren
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