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Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
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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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Nicholas Tsoulfanidis—ANS member since 1969
We welcome ANS members who have careered in the community to submit their own Nuclear Legacy stories, so that the personal history of nuclear power can be captured. For information on submitting your stories, contact nucnews@ans.org.
As an undergraduate I studied physics at the University of Athens. I entered the university in 1955 after successfully passing a national exam (came up fourth in a field of about 700 candidates). Upon graduation and finishing my mandatory two-year military service, the plan was to teach physics either in a public high school or as a tutor for a private for-profit institution, preparing high school students for the national exam.
Apoorva V. Rudra, Dinesh V. Kalaga, Masahiro Kawaji
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 193 | Number 10 | October 2019 | Pages 1147-1159
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2019.1595311
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In order to investigate air-ingress phenomena in a gas-cooled very high temperature reactor (VHTR), natural circulation experiments have been conducted in a helium flow loop after the injection of nitrogen into the lower plenum. A pair of helium analyzers were used to measure the nitrogen and helium concentrations in the lower plenum and upper plenum. The changes in the nitrogen concentration in the upper plenum were used to calculate the time required for the transport of nitrogen from the lower plenum to upper plenum through a riser flow channel made of graphite. The effect of system temperature and pressure on the rate of nitrogen transport has been studied extensively. Furthermore, a close examination of the graphite flow channel wall temperatures at different elevations showed small but sudden drops indicating the arrival of nitrogen at each elevation. From these data, the upward transport of nitrogen injected into the lower plenum under natural circulation conditions could be quantitatively investigated. The experimental findings indicate that the driving mechanisms for air transport through the reactor core of VHTR would result from both molecular diffusion and natural circulation. At low graphite temperatures in the riser, molecular diffusion is the dominating mechanism; however, as the riser temperature increases, natural circulation becomes dominant and the rate of nitrogen transport increases. Further, the time constants for these mechanisms have been calculated using a simplified species transport equation.