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Division Spotlight
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
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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Apr 2024
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Geological work begins on Poland’s first nuclear plant
Project management firm Bechtel started site geological surveys for Poland’s first nuclear power plant project, the company announced on Wednesday.
Bechtel will conduct in-depth geological surveys at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Pomeranian municipality of Choczewo, in northern Poland. This is a key milestone for the country’s entry into nuclear power production, as the surveys will inform the suitability of the planned site.
Roger Lew (Univ of Idaho), Chris Poresky (Univ of California, Berkeley), Thomas A. Ulrich, Ronald L. Boring (INL)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 507-521
Several advanced Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are in various stages of design and commercialization. These could be critical in ensuring future clean, reliable, and autonomous energy for buildings, transportation, and domestic water use in the United States. Generation trends are shifting with increased penetration of solar and wind. Fossil sources are still major contributors with coal slowly phasing out. Nuclear plants are aging and currently account for 20% of total electricity. Our future grid will be challenged with managing the dynamic production of renewables, electric vehicle penetration, and urbanization. This also creates market opportunities for SMRs. Operation and control of SMRs is potentially substantively different from current reactors. New advanced reactors incorporate more passive safety. and modern control systems increase susceptibility to cyber risks. SMRs will need to be cost competitive with competing technologies and optimizing operations and maintenance costs will be critical to adoption. Here we put forward strategies for the design, operation, and management of SMRs over their projected lifecycle. Advanced reactors being designed today may not become operational for another 10 to 20 years and would run for 40 or even 60 years. The specified control systems are at risk of obsolescence before the plants have a chance of going critical.