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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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
Browns Ferry’s reactors receive subsequent license renewals
The operating licenses for the three boiling water reactors at Browns Ferry nuclear power plant, in Athens, Ala., have each been renewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for an additional 20 years. The reactors, operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, are now licensed to operate until December 2053 for Unit 1, June 2054 for Unit 2, and July 2056 for Unit 3.
Michal Cihlář, Pavel Zácha, Jan Uhlíř, Martin Mareček, Václav Dostál, Jan Prehradný
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 197 | Number 12 | December 2023 | Pages 2961-2976
YMSR Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2023.2189549
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Experimental Molten FLiBe Salt Loop (MSL), which was previously damaged during operation, is currently undergoing renovation using a risk-based design approach. An important part of this approach is to reliably define and explore normal and abnormal states of the MSL in order to avoid repeating such failures. A numerical model consisting of heated walls and working fluid volume was created for the ANSYS Fluent code. The quality of this model was checked, and sensitivity analysis for mesh quality was performed. Moreover, another sensitivity analysis was performed for the heat transfer coefficient between the insulation and the surrounding air. A number of different normal and abnormal states were identified, investigated, and described, including the loop filling process, regular operation with natural circulation or forced circulation, heating cutoff without draining, and insulation failure. The results of these investigations will be used for the risk-based design of the MSL renovation; for precise establishment of operation and safety limits, conditions, rules, and procedures before the MSL commissioning; and consequently, on a regular basis, for the risk-based operation, experiments, and maintenance of the MSL.