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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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Powering the future: How the DOE is fueling nuclear fuel cycle research and development
As global interest in nuclear energy surges, the United States must remain at the forefront of research and development to ensure national energy security, advance nuclear technologies, and promote international cooperation on safety and nonproliferation. A crucial step in achieving this is analyzing how funding and resources are allocated to better understand how to direct future research and development. The Department of Energy has spearheaded this effort by funding hundreds of research projects across the country through the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). This initiative has empowered dozens of universities to collaborate toward a nuclear-friendly future.
Man Gyun Na, Belle R. Upadhyaya, Jung In Choi
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 129 | Number 3 | July 1998 | Pages 283-293
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE98-A1982
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A multivariable adaptive control algorithm is applied to the axial flux shape control in a pressurized water reactor. This is one of the most challenging control problems in the nuclear field. The reactor model used for computer simulations is a two-point xenon oscillation model based on the nonlinear xenon and iodine balance equations and a one-group, one-dimensional, neutron diffusion equation having nonlinear power reactivity feedback that adequately describes axial oscillations and treats the nonlinearities explicitly. The reactor core is axially divided into two regions, and it is considered that each region has one input and one output and is coupled with the other region. The control parameters are updated on-line with the generalized least-squares method to adjust the varying operating conditions. Therefore, this algorithm is able to treat the varying operating conditions well. Also, this control algorithm exhibits very fast responses due to the step and ramp changes of target axial shape without any residual flux oscillations between the upper and lower halves of the reactor core.