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Division Spotlight
Human Factors, Instrumentation & Controls
Improving task performance, system reliability, system and personnel safety, efficiency, and effectiveness are the division's main objectives. Its major areas of interest include task design, procedures, training, instrument and control layout and placement, stress control, anthropometrics, psychological input, and motivation.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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!
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Bipartisan Fusion Energy Act pushes for regulatory clarity
Sen. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) introduced the Fusion Energy Act (S. 4151) last month with a bipartisan group of cosponsors—John Cornyn (R., Texas), Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Todd Young (R., Ind.), and Patty Murray (D., Wash.). The legislation would codify the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulatory authority over commercial fusion energy systems to streamline the creation of clear federal regulations that will support the development of commercial fusion power plants—and would require a report within one year on a study of risk- and performance-based, design-specific licensing frameworks for “mass-manufactured fusion machines.
“Congress must do everything in its power to ensure continued U.S. leadership in developing commercial fusion energy facilities,” said Padilla as he introduced the bill. “The Fusion Energy Act would provide regulatory certainty for investors as the NRC develops and streamlines frameworks for such facilities.”
13th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies (NPIC&HMIT 2023)
Technical Session|Panel
Thursday, July 20, 2023|8:00–9:30AM EDT|301B
Session Chairs:
Ted Quinn (Paragon Energy Solutions)
Ian Jung (NRC)
Session Organizers:
The nuclear industry is pursuing the development and licensing of a number of advanced reactor designs of various types and sizes. Instrumentation and control for these designs can play a key role in the operation and safety of the facilities. Multiple designers are in various pre- or post-application licensing review stages working with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NRC has also been preparing for the review of the licensing applications. One major area is to enhance the NRC’s regulatory infrastructure that includes the development of the rules and regulatory guidance better suited for the designs. The application of the risk-informed and performance-based (RIPB) approach is one of the most significant areas for the review of the designs. Some of the key examples are the ongoing 10 CFR Part 53 rulemaking effort, the issuance of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.233, which endorses NEI 18-04, and Trial RG 1.247, which endorses the ASME/ANS non-LWR probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) standard, and the NRC’s ongoing advanced reactor content of application project (ARCAP) along with the industry’s technology-inclusive content of application project (TICAP) in NEI 21-07. The enhanced regulatory infrastructure affects, and can provide opportunities for, the instrumentation and control (I&C) design and licensing. Specific to I&C, the NRC staff has also issued Design Review Guide (DRG) for I&C to be ready for the advanced reactors, and several designers are using this guidance. This panel will discuss the NRC and industry perspectives on the development and licensing of advanced reactor I&C. The emphasis is placed on the I&C-related regulatory infrastructure, the I&C approaches of some of the designers, the industry implementation of such regulatory infrastructure, including the RIPB approach in RG 1.233 and DRG for I&C, and the potential or unique challenges in the I&C licensing.
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