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 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Helion secures new licenses from Washington
Last week, Everett, Wash., fusion start-up Helion Energy announced that it has received its radioactive materials license and radioactive air emissions license from the state of Washington.
According to the company, these milestones make it “the first company in the world to secure the regulatory licenses needed for a fusion power plant” and represent confirmation that it has the needed facilities, trained personnel, and safety programs in place to safely operate its fusion machine.
Chad Kiger (AMS), Hrvoje Grganic (Nukearna Elektrana Krško)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 1304-1310
The nuclear industry desires to implement wireless technology to improve communication efficiency, optimize maintenance, improve security, and add to plant safety and availability. Examples of wireless applications which are being targeted by nuclear power plants for efficiency gains are: 1) tablet based work orders and calibration procedures, 2) wireless access to plant engineering documentation, 3) voice communication anywhere in the plant, 4) temporary or permanent installation of wireless cameras, and 5) equipment condition monitoring using wireless sensors. Prior to implementation, nuclear power plants must resolve the electromagnetic and radio frequency (EMI/RFI) challenges for wireless devices to prevent interference with sensitive plant equipment. Traditionally, nuclear facilities have defined specific or generic exclusion zones where wireless devices cannot be used. In most cases, this has caused plants to prohibit the use of wireless devices in some entire rooms of the plant. Research performed by AMS determined that exclusion distances in almost all nuclear power plants are still overly conservative and thereby severely limit the use of wireless devices in many areas of the plant. Most of these exclusion distances are much larger than necessary and can be significantly reduced by using in-situ EMI/RFI testing techniques. The Krško nuclear power plant in Slovenia is evaluating the use of Wi-Fi devices to support plant operators in performing their daily rounds and other maintenance activities, including within the Main Control Room (MCR). The exclusion distances calculated for Wi-Fi devices would prevent them from being used within the MCR. For this reason, and because a majority of the older equipment did not have documented evidence of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) qualification testing, Krško personnel chose to perform in-situ EMI/RFI testing of equipment throughout the plant including within the MCR. This paper will outline the project objectives, test methodologies, challenges that were encountered, and results of the testing activities.