ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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Division Spotlight
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.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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
IAEA’s Grossi talks with insurance companies’ executives
International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Mariano Grossi was in Switzerland last week to talk with insurance executives at the Nuclear Pools’ Forum about the potential of nuclear power.
Joseph Naser, Raymond Torok, Ramesh Shankar
Nuclear Technology | Volume 141 | Number 1 | January 2003 | Pages 3-9
Technical Paper | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technologies | doi.org/10.13182/NT03-A3345
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Deregulation of the electric utilities has made a major impact on nuclear power plants. To be competitive, more emphasis is being put on cost-effective production of electricity with a more critical look at whether a system should be modernized due to obsolescence, reliability, or productivity concerns. Instrumentation and control (I&C) systems play an important role in reducing the cost of producing electricity while maintaining or enhancing safety. Systems that are well designed, reliable, enhance productivity, and are cost-effective to operate and maintain can reduce the overall costs. Modern technology with its ability to better provide and use real-time information offers an effective platform for modernizing systems. At the same time, new technology brings new challenges and issues, especially for safety systems in nuclear power plants. To increase competitiveness, it is important to take advantage of the opportunities offered by modern technology and to address the new challenges and issues in a cost-effective manner. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and its member utilities have been working together with other members of the nuclear industry since 1990 to address I&C modernization and maintenance issues. The EPRI I&C Program has developed a life-cycle management approach for I&C systems that involves the optimization of maintenance, monitoring, and capital resources to sustain safety and performance throughout the plant life. Strategic planning methodologies and implementation guidelines addressing digital I&C issues in nuclear power plants have been developed. Work is ongoing in diverse areas to support the design, implementation, and operation of new digital systems. Technology transfer is an integral part of this I&C program.