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Division Spotlight
Education, Training & Workforce Development
The Education, Training & Workforce Development Division provides communication among the academic, industrial, and governmental communities through the exchange of views and information on matters related to education, training and workforce development in nuclear and radiological science, engineering, and technology. Industry leaders, education and training professionals, and interested students work together through Society-sponsored meetings and publications, to enrich their professional development, to educate the general public, and to advance nuclear and radiological science and engineering.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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March 2025
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February 2025
Latest News
Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Technical Session|Panel|Sponsored by OPD
Tuesday, June 18, 2024|1:00–2:45PM PDT|Jasmine C
Session Chair:
Aladar Csontos
Alternate Chair:
Koroush Shirvan
Session Organizer:
Nuclear energy produces more carbon-free electricity than any other source, accounting for ~20% of U.S. electricity generation. With the net-zero emission goals of the upcoming decades, there is a consensus and recognition of the vital importance in continual operation of existing reactor fleet. Over the last 25 years, the U.S. NRC has approved over 130 power-uprates for the existing fleet ranging from ~0.5-20%. Recent developments have reopened the potential for additional power uprates, e.g. NRC exemption requests and rulemaking for higher enriched fuels and state Zero Emission Credits (ZECs) and federal Production Tax Credits (PTCs) through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The ZECs and PTCs incentivize utilities to generate more carbon-free electricity from the existing fleet which significantly alters the economics of nuclear generation. Both the PTCs and lifting of the 5% enrichment barrier make the potential for power uprates and thereby, plant life extensions through increased revenues, much more likely and economically viable. The panel overviews the opportunities and technical characteristics of power uprate. In particular, summary of recent reports and workshop led by Idaho national lab and EPRI will be overviewed.
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