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2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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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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What’s the most difficult question you’ve been asked as a maintenance instructor?
Blye Widmar
"Where are the prints?!"
This was the final question in an onslaught of verbal feedback, comments, and critiques I received from my students back in 2019. I had two years of instructor experience and was teaching a class that had been meticulously rehearsed in preparation for an accreditation visit. I knew the training material well and transferred that knowledge effectively enough for all the students to pass the class. As we wrapped up, I asked the students how they felt about my first big system-level class, and they did not hold back.
“Why was the exam from memory when we don’t work from memory in the plant?” “Why didn’t we refer to the vendor documents?” “Why didn’t we practice more on the mock-up?” And so on.
Chung-Hsien Liang, Kuo-Hwa Su
Nuclear Technology | Volume 162 | Number 3 | June 2008 | Pages 333-341
Technical Paper | Nuclear Plant Operations and Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3960
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Silica concentration in the primary coolant of a reactor coolant system of a pressurized water nuclear plant is a considerable operational issue. It also becomes a safety issue if the crud is very significant. To keep its amount to a minimum is the basic requirement for the purpose of zinc injection in the primary system and protection against its deposition on the fuel rod and poor heat transfer on the primary system and piping. A boric acid cleanup machine has been developed, designed, and installed on the base floor at the auxiliary building of the Maanshan power station of Taiwan Power Company. It is located above the boric acid tank (BAT). This machine with reverse osmosis method was used to clean up boric acid of ~62 m3 stored in the BAT. The results show that its performance has excellent efficiency and capability. The silica concentration was reduced to ~0.605 ppm from the original value of ~3.150 ppm. The resulting waste contained ~2.52 wt% of boron depending on the original boron amounts in the BAT. After the cleanup is finished, the concentration of boron in the BAT still maintains its operable and safe operating range of 7000 to 7700 ppm. Finally, the written procedure has been completed in order that the machine will be applied as a routine cleanup system.
