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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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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Latest News
ANS designates Armour Research Foundation Reactor as Nuclear Historic Landmark
The American Nuclear Society presented the Illinois Institute of Technology with a plaque last week to officially designate the Armour Research Foundation Reactor a Nuclear Historic Landmark, following the Society’s decision to confer the status onto the reactor in September 2024.
Charles W. Forsberg
Nuclear Technology | Volume 76 | Number 1 | January 1987 | Pages 185-192
Technical Note | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT87-A33909
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Current boiling water reactors (BWRs) use active safety systems comprised of pumps, valves, motors, and diesel generators. These active safety systems (a) are a major cause of controversy in licensing power reactors because of reliability questions, (b) have high capital costs, and (c) require constant maintenance. An advanced BWR concept with passive emergency core cooling systems (PECOS) offers a basic alternative approach to reactor safety. In the PECOS-BWR, passive emergency core cooling is provided for the first 24 h by gravity flow of stored water released through fluidic valves that have no moving parts. Natural-draft air cooling removes heat from the core for longer periods.
