ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
April 2026
Latest News
NRC approves TerraPower construction permit
Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has approved TerraPower’s construction permit application for Kemmerer Unit 1, the company’s first deployment of Natrium, its flagship sodium fast reactor.
This approval is a significant milestone on three fronts. For TerraPower, it represents another step forward in demonstrating its technology. For the Department of Energy, it reflects progress (despite delays) for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). For the NRC, it is the first approval granted to a commercial reactor in nearly a decade—and the first approval of a commercial non–light water reactor in more than 40 years.
Edmund T. Rumble, Boyer B. Chu
Nuclear Technology | Volume 79 | Number 1 | October 1987 | Pages 7-19
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT87-A16001
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The application of systems reliability analysis (SRA) at nuclear power plants is broadening from its initial focus on safety-related design considerations to also include operations and maintenance (O&M) issues. Effective analysis of O&M questions requires increased resources and support such as accurate and timely plant feedback. A new approach has been developed that links data from plant information management systems with systems reliability tools and models. This approach is being automated in a software system named RAPID (Reliability Assessment Program with In-Plant Data). The objective of RAPID is to provide an environment for SRA with potential for dramatically improving the quality, quantity, and timeliness of plant reliability information available for decision making, especially for O&M issues. At the same time, the system should enhance engineering efficiency by automating access to such needed resources as plant data, logic models, and evaluation codes. A developmental version of RAPID is operational at the Arizona Nuclear Power Project, where features for supporting engineering activities are being demonstrated.