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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
Securing the advanced reactor fleet
Physical protection accounts for a significant portion of a nuclear power plant’s operational costs. As the U.S. moves toward smaller and safer advanced reactors, similar protection strategies could prove cost prohibitive. For tomorrow’s small modular reactors and microreactors, security costs must remain appropriate to the size of the reactor for economical operation.
Staffan Jacobsson Svärd, Ane Håkansson, Anders Bäcklin, Otasowie Osifo, Christopher Willman, Peter Jansson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 151 | Number 1 | July 2005 | Pages 70-76
Technical Paper | Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management - Core Physics and Fuel Management Methods, Analytical Tools, and Benchmarks | doi.org/10.13182/NT05-A3632
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A need for validation of modern production codes with respect to the calculated pin-power distribution has been recognized. A nondestructive experimental method for such validation has been developed based on a tomographic technique. The gamma-ray flux distribution is recorded in each axial node of the fuel assembly separately, whereby the relative rod-by-rod content of the fission product 140Ba is determined. Measurements indicate that 1 to 2% accuracy (1) is achievable.A device has been constructed for in-pool measurements at reactor sites. The applicability has been demonstrated in measurements at the Swedish boiling water reactor (BWR) Forsmark 2 on irradiated fuel with a cooling time of 4 to 5 weeks. Data from the production code POLCA-7 have been compared to measured rod-by-rod contents of 140Ba. An agreement of 3.1% (1) has been demonstrated.It is estimated that measurements can be performed on a complete BWR assembly in 25 axial nodes within an 8-h work shift. As compared to the conventional method, involving gamma scanning of individual fuel rods, this method does not require the fuel to be disassembled nor does the fuel channel have to be removed. The cost per measured fuel rod is estimated to be an order of magnitude lower than the conventional method.