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Division Spotlight
Human Factors, Instrumentation & Controls
Improving task performance, system reliability, system and personnel safety, efficiency, and effectiveness are the division's main objectives. Its major areas of interest include task design, procedures, training, instrument and control layout and placement, stress control, anthropometrics, psychological input, and motivation.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
James T. Cronin, Bruce C. Slifer
Nuclear Technology | Volume 54 | Number 3 | September 1981 | Pages 393-397
First International Retran Meeting | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT81-A32785
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An analysis of a boiling water reactor/4 plant response to a simultaneous closing of all main steam isolation valves (MSIVs) followed by a failure of the reactor protection system scram function was performed using the RETRAN-01 computer code. The purpose of the analysis was to determine what power level the plant must operate at such that the vessel pressure does not exceed 1500 psig during the postulated transient. No credit was taken for an anticipated transient without scram recirculation pump trip. Analyses were performed both at 100% flow conditions and at reduced core flow conditions. The results of the analyses show that the 1500-psig vessel pressure criterion is met for operating conditions of ≤85% power. Sensitivity studies were performed to identify important input parameters and modeling techniques. Steamline inertial effects, direct moderator heating fraction, feedback reactivity data, fuel rod gap conductance, MSIV closure rates, and upper downcomer modeling were investigated. The peak vessel pressure was found to be most sensitive to the value assumed for gap conductance and to the amount of liquid assumed to be in thermodynamic equilibrium with the vapor phase in the upper downcomer (region outside of the separators between the feedwater sparger and steam dryers). It is recommended that nonequilibrium effects in the upper downcomer region be investigated with models such as the RETRAN nonequilibrium pressurizer model.