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Division Spotlight
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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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Feb 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
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.
13th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies (NPIC&HMIT 2023)
Technical Session|Panel
Tuesday, July 18, 2023|10:00–11:45AM EDT|301D
Session Chair:
Pareez Golub (Sargent & Lundy)
Session Organizer:
Raymond Herb (Southern Nuclear)
Since nuclear power is a key solution to meeting CO2 goals, utilities are pursuing subsequent license renewal of the existing fleet of light water reactors to meet the future demand up to 80 years and beyond. To support the extended life of the plant and address obsolete analog controls, most utilities are installing digital controls. Often ignored in these plans are the Main Control Rooms (MCRs), which will also need to be modernized. This is currently accomplished through piecemeal upgrade projects that occasionally add digital Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) to the MCR. MCR modernization is best addressed as an integrated strategy to design the new HMIs in a standard, holistic manner supporting high quality operations. Additionally, the MCRs must address the next generation of operators and take full advantage of the digital systems capabilities to reduce operational risk through an evolving concept of operations. This panel will present the plans from several large utilities and industry HFE experts including aspects of strategic planning, evolving concepts of operations, HFE program development and licensing of those new digital main control rooms.
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