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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
Technical Session|Thermal Hydraulics
Friday, April 17, 2026|3:45–4:45PM CDT|RUDR 410
Session Chair:
Manasvin Klair
Alternate Chair:
Zach Lassater
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Bubble Point Characterization of As-Manufactured Heat Pipe Mesh Screen Wick
3:45–4:05PM CDT
Luke Price (Penn State), Scout H. Bucks (Penn State), Christopher T. Balbier (Penn State), Saya Lee (Penn State)
Paper
Velocity Profile Measurement Using Fiber Optic Hot Wire Anemometer
4:05–4:25PM CDT
Christopher T. Balbier (Penn State), Oscar Felegy (Penn State), Saya Lee (Penn State)
Investigation of an Experimental Methodology for Optical Determination of Microbubble Geometry Through High-Speed Photography
4:25–4:45PM CDT
Ethan M. Villarreal (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Andrew Hutsell (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Lane B. Carasik (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Ethan Villarreal (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.)
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