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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
J. Bogen, K.-H. Schüller
Nuclear Technology | Volume 38 | Number 1 | April 1978 | Pages 104-112
Technical Paper | Low-Temperature Nuclear Heat / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT78-A16162
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Nuclear power plants are normally designed for operation with condensing turbines for pure electricity production. The rational use of primary energy demands the combined production of electricity and low-temperature heat, especially for regions with high population densities. The choice of the plant layout for combined generation of electricity and heat from nuclear power stations depends on the requirements of the electrical and district heating grids, on technological criteria of the process, as well as on economic criteria. A 3782 MJ/s pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear steam supply system is used as a basis for the combined production of electricity and heat produced by extracting steam from the low pressure turbines of the turbo-generator and by installing a separate heating turbine. There are no important technical changes necessary in a PWR plant, designed for electricity generation, when changing to the combined generation of electricity and heat. Since the additional equipment for district heating production is designed in detail, the additional plant costs can be estimated. The result shows that, for a heating capacity range of 349 to 1163 MJ/s, the additional plant costs are on the order of 1 to 5% of the total investment for a 1300-MW(electric) PWR power station for pure electricity production.