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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
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
Can hydrogen be the transportation fuel in an otherwise nuclear economy?
Let’s face it: The global economy should be powered primarily by nuclear power. And it probably will by the end of this century, with a still-significant assist from renewables and hydro. Once nuclear systems are dominant, the costs come down to where gas is now; and when carbon emissions are reduced to a small portion of their present state, it will become obvious that most other sources are only good in niche settings. I mean, why use small modular reactors to load-follow when they can just produce that power instead of buffering it?
Juan José Ortiz, Alejandro Castillo, José Luis Montes, Raúl Perusquía
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 157 | Number 2 | October 2007 | Pages 236-244
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE07-A2725
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new system to optimize both control rod pattern and fuel-loading design in boiling water reactors is shown. The system is named OCOTH, and it is based on heuristic techniques such as genetic algorithms, neural networks, and ant colonies. Each heuristic technique is used to design a part of the optimization process. So, the neural network finds an initial fuel loading with a Haling burnup calculation. The ant colony system optimizes full-power control rod pattern of the initial fuel loading. Finally, the genetic algorithm optimizes fuel loading with the optimized control rod patterns. The ant colony system and the genetic algorithm perform an iterative loop until a stop criterion is fulfilled; for example, control rod pattern and fuel-loading convergence. The OCOTH system was tested in an equilibrium cycle of Mexico's Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant. We found very good results in control rod pattern and fuel-loading coupled optimization.