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.
Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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
X-energy receives federal tax credit for TRISO fuel facility
Advanced reactor company X-energy has been awarded $148.5 million in tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act for construction of its TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Adam R. Wheeler, Andrew C. Klein
Nuclear Technology | Volume 188 | Number 1 | October 2014 | Pages 45-62
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-100
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The purpose of this study was to design a robust test facility for a small space nuclear power system and model its physical behavior under different scenarios. The test facility will be used to simulate a 1- to 10-kW(electric) nuclear reactor, its electrical generation, and heat removal capabilities. This simulator will be used to explore, test, and understand the steady-state and transient operation capabilities of small space nuclear power systems. Currently, the system is planned to operate on a variable, electrical heat source directly connected to heat pipes. The heat pipes are to be stainless steel with a water working fluid. These heat pipes will then be connected to a power conversion simulator or actual power conversion technologies. The power conversion simulator is connected to a radiator using a water-based heat pipe network using fins and connecting plates in a cylindrical geometry. Modeling of the facility was performed using the SolidWorks Flow Simulation package. Flow Simulation was used to analyze startup, heat pipe failures, and loss of power conversion with the end goal of finding safe operational transient scenarios for the transient test facility.