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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
From uncertainty to vitality: The future of nuclear energy in Illinois
Nuclear is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. The momentum for reliable energy to support economic development around the country—specifically data centers and AI—remains strong, and strongly in favor of nuclear. And as feature coverage on the states in the January 2026 issue of Nuclear News made abundantly clear, many states now see nuclear as necessary to support rising electricity demand while maintaining a reliable grid and reaching decarbonization goals.
A. J. Palmer, R. S. Skifton, D. C. Haggard, W. D. Swank (INL), M. Scervini (Univ of Cambridge)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 1013-1027
High-temperature gas reactor experiments create unique challenges for thermocouple-based temperature measurements. High-temperature industrial thermocouples suffer rapid decalibration due to transmutation of the thermoelements from neutron absorption. For lower temperature applications, Type K and Type N thermocouples are affected by neutron irradiation only to a limited extent. But until recently, the use of these nickel-based thermocouples was limited when the temperature exceeds 1050°C due to drift related to phenomena other than nuclear irradiation. Certain portions of the final Advanced Gas Reactor test (AGR-5/6/7) will experience temperatures higher than any of the previous AGR tests, up to 1450°C. Recognizing the limitations of existing thermometry to measure such high temperatures, the sponsor of the AGR-5/6/7 test supported a development and testing program for thermocouples capable of low-drift operation at temperatures above 1100°C. This program included additional development of high-temperature irradiation-resistant thermocouples (HTIR-TCs) based on molybdenum/niobium thermoelements, which have been studied at INL since circa 2004. A step change in accuracy and long-term stability of this thermocouple type has been achieved as part of the AGR-5/6/7 thermometry development program. Additionally, long term testing (7000+ hrs) at 1250°C of Type N thermocouples utilizing a customized sheath developed at the University of Cambridge has been completed with excellent low-drift results. The results of this testing as well as testing of the improved HTIR design are reported herein. Both the improved HTIR and the Cambridge Type N thermocouple types have been incorporated into the AGR-5/6/7 test, which began irradiation February 2018.