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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
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
Jul 2024
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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.
Educational Session|Panel|Cost Reduction Opportunities
Tuesday, August 9, 2022|3:30–5:00PM EDT|Calusa 10
Track Organizer:
Tim Schlimpert (MCR Group)
Knowledge Manager:
Matthew Mairinger (OPG)
Utilities are in the business of making electricity, should they invest in resources and subject matter experts for specialty programs, software tools, fabrication of one-of-a-kind hardware, etc. This session will discuss potential cost saving ideas by outsourcing certain activities and tasks to qualified industry vendors.
Running a safe and reliable nuclear power plant requires coordination of many activities, operations, licensing, plant upgrades and maintenance, refueling to name few. Utilities need to decide which tasks they should do with their in-house resources or outsource the task to a specialty vendor. While in general, many larger activities are outsourced to specialty vendors, like refueling, steam generator replacement, control room upgrade, digital I&C, etc., are there other specialty tasks that can be outsourced to specialty vendors.
The panel will discuss examples of activities that have been outsourced by some utilities and the cost savings associated with such activities. The cost savings achieved by outsourcing should consider not only the cost associated with the implementation of the task, but also assess any additional cost savings in the long run by not having such specialty resources, staffing in house for a very specialized, or one-of-a-kind task. An example of this will be a legacy programs or software database or software tool that the utility may have implemented or inherited decades ago, and now the subject matter expert is retiring.
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