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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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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Latest News
How robust is HALEU from a nonproliferation perspective?
Shikha Prasad
High-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) has emerged as a popular fuel choice for advanced small modular reactors due to its long power production periods before refueling. It is currently being pursued by TerraPower, X-energy, BWX Technologies, Kairos, Oklo, and other reactor companies. HALEU has a uranium-235 enrichment ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent, whereas traditional LWRs use low-enriched uranium fuel enriched up to 5 percent.
HALEU will provide power for longer durations, compared with traditional LWRs. But could it also provide an opportunity for more rapid proliferation, as is speculated in a 2023 National Academy of Sciences report on advanced nuclear reactors (nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26630/)?
If a nuclear proliferator conspires to divert fresh nuclear fuel for weapons production when it has not been used in a reactor, the effort required in separative work units (SWUs) to enrich U-235 from 5 percent to 90 percent and that required to enrich from 20 percent to 90 percent are both very small, compared with the effort required to enrich U-235 from its natural abundance to the initial 5 percent.
Workshop
Sunday, April 21, 2024|8:00AM–12:00PM PDT|Franciscan C
Organized by: Mike Rising (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Price: $49
Westinghouse Electric Company recognizes the importance of supporting students pursuing a career in reactor physics. For this reason, Westinghouse will be sponsoring the first 100 student workshop registrants by covering their fees. Contact registrar@ans.org for a discount code before registering. Limited space available in each workshop. Once these seats are filled, you will be put on a waitlist. You must request a discount code before registering. No refunds will be made if you do not contact us before registering.
This workshop will cover many of the new features, improvements, and updated tools included in the new MCNP6.3 code release that are most relevant to the reactor physics community. While more details of the workshop will be forthcoming, a few of the topics to expect at this workshop include:
All the workshop materials, including slides, exercises, documentation, etc., will be made available to all participants. There will be live exercises done by the instructors. Participants interested in performing the exercises will need to bring their own laptop with the MCNP6.3 software installed (see how to obtain the MCNP6.3 code here ( https://mcnp.lanl.gov/how_to_get_the_mcnp_code.html ), along with a few other openly available tools (e.g., Python, MCNPTools, ParaView). Earlier versions of the MCNP6 code, i.e., MCNP6.2 and earlier, will not be able to perform the exercises provided. Details on the additional software and versions required will be communicated well before the workshop. Attendees are not required to participate in the exercises performed during the workshop nor are they required to have a license to the MCNP6 code. Instructors will be available to discuss participant questions regarding the workshop materials.
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