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Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
The U.S. Million Person Study of Low-Dose-Rate Health Effects
There is a critical knowledge gap regarding the health consequences of exposure to radiation received gradually over time. While there is a plethora of studies on the risks of adverse outcomes from both acute and high-dose exposures, including the landmark study of atomic bomb survivors, these are not characteristic of the chronic exposure to low-dose radiation encountered in occupational and public settings. In addition, smaller cohorts have limited numbers leading to reduced statistical power.
Vikram Singh, Alexander M. Wheeler, Belle R. Upadhyaya, Ond?ej Chvá (Univ of Tennessee, Knoxville), M. Scott Greenwood (ORNL)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 199-208
Preliminary results from a nonlinear dynamic model of the Molten Salt Demonstration Reactor (MSDR) plant are presented. This model is coupled to an integral economizer Once-Through Steam Generator (OTSG) model with variable boiling length to simulate operation at different power levels. The reactivity effect of Xe-135 is also integrated to investigate open-loop load-following operation. Simulation results show that the reactor model is stable for the investigated reactivity perturbations. A load-following excursion is simulated by varying the feedwater flow rate through the steam generator. Results show that the MSDR can follow load demand in a stable manner through temperature-based reactivity feedbacks alone without requiring operator input. Future work involves development of instrumentation systems and control strategies to achieve near autonomous plant operation.
