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Division Spotlight
Thermal Hydraulics
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
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May 2025
Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Pedro Trueba-Alonso, Cristina Corrales-Quirós, Julio Méndez-Salguero, Luís Rejas-López (Tecnatom S.A.)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 1053-1067
Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) have been traditionally operated from Main Control Rooms (MCR) and Local Control Stations (LCS) using analog technology with hardwired indications, controls and alarms in spatially dedicated in stand-up panels and consoles. The modernization programs in existing nuclear power plants have been changing the way to operate the Human System Interfaces (HSIs) of these MCR and LCS during the past 20 years, with the use of digital technology for Human System Interfaces (HSIs). These control rooms are now known as hybrid control rooms. Without changing the actual layout of the existing MCRs, the operation philosophy is evolving in hybrid control rooms in two directions: • To sit-down consoles, where the operator, can monitor the majority of plant systems and operate relevant plant information without the need of moving, using visual display units (VDUs). • To screens in the existing panels, where the traditional analog components are replaced with screens (touch screens or operated with trackball). This paper will show experience gained in examples of design modifications where Tecnatom has been working in design and verification and validations, where they way to operate HSIs has varied in some way. The implementation of design modifications is a non-stopping modernization process due to obsolescence of the existing Instrumentation and Control (I&C), HSI and lack of spare parts. In this way, the typical design modifications being implemented in plants with the participation of Tecnatom and focused in the MCR will be described.