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Division Spotlight
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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Argonne scientists use AI to detect hidden defects in stainless steel
Imagine you’re constructing a bridge or designing an airplane, and everything appears flawless on the outside. However, microscopic flaws beneath the surface could weaken the entire structure over time.
These hidden defects can be difficult to detect with traditional inspection methods, but a new technology developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is changing that. Using artificial intelligence and advanced imaging techniques, researchers have developed a method to reveal these tiny flaws before they become critical problems.
Technical Session|Panel
Thursday, November 11, 2021|12:40–2:40PM EST
Session Chair:
Michelle Bensi (Univ Maryland)
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
Carol S. Smidts (OSU)
Session Producer:
Zach Berkow
Our fundamental understanding of both external hazards and nuclear power plant (NPP) responses to those hazards has increased in recent years as a result of the expanded use of external hazard probabilistic risk assessment (XHPRA). In parallel, recent operating experience has led to an increased understanding of and appreciation for the ways that external hazard events can affect NPP structures, systems, and components (SSCs) as well as the factors influencing human performance during hazard events. While XHPRA knowledge and experience continue to grow, it remains challenging to represent the spatially and temporally dynamic nature of certain external hazard events within existing PRA modeling tools. Moreover, there is notable variability between hazard groups (e.g., flooding, seismic, and high wind hazards) with respect to the conventions of practice in XHPRA. These differences arise due to the differing XHPRA experience bases across hazard groups as well as fundamental differences in the nature of hazard events and the strategies plants use to respond. As a result, broad uncertainties associated with XHPRA remain. These include uncertainties related to: (1) characterization of the severity and frequency of hazard events; (2) the physical impacts of hazard events on NPP SSCs; (3) event progressions; and (4) the impacts of external hazards on human performance (including FLEX strategies). Further, external hazards can create unique challenges related to site access, evacuation/sheltering, and concurrent/secondary/induced hazards. In existing XHPRA practice, the aforementioned uncertainties and knowledge gaps have typically been addressed via conservative assessments, expert judgment, or simplified models and assumptions. Improvements in model realism can yield important risk insights through the enhancement of plant response procedures. They can also help to expand the utility of XHPRA to assist in evaluating alternative response strategies. There is a need for a risk-informed strategy to identify, characterize, and prioritize drivers of hazard uncertainty. To address this challenge, this panel session will bring together experts in multiple aspects of XHPRA to discuss: • These drivers of uncertainty in XHPRA • Differences in practice (and origins of those differences) among hazard groups • Future directions and potential benefits of efforts to improve model realism and reduce uncertainties
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