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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.
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2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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
High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
K. Matsubara, R. Oguma, M. Kitamura
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 65 | Number 1 | January 1978 | Pages 1-16
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE78-A27121
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An autoregressive (AR) model with pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) test signals was applied to the dynamics of the Japan Power Demonstration Reactor, a boiling water reactor (BWR). The decision of the order of the AR model was based on the Akaike criterion. Multi-input test signals of the PRBS were applied to the steam-flow control valve and the forced circulation pump speed control terminal. Seventeen variables including the instrumented fuel assemblies were observed. The AR model identification facilitated building the BWR dynamics model as a multivariable system. The experiment indicated that the BWR dynamics with rather intensive nonwhite noise interference was effectively represented by the AR model, which was compared with a linear theoretical dynamics model. The results suggested that the identified AR model plays an important role in verifying, modifying, and improving the theoretical dynamics model.