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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
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.
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
Mr. Ludwig is the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy. In this role he is responsible for the development of policy and execution of initiatives governing naval shore installation energy, operational energy, and expeditionary energy programs. Through leadership of multiple integrated ashore and afloat programs, Mr. Ludwig helps ensure that the Navy and Marine Corps warfighters have the ability to effectively and efficiently operate worldwide.
Mr. Walter Ludwig previously served as the Director for Public Works at the Marine Corps Installations Command where he was responsible for an infrastructure portfolio valued at over $95 billion and comprised of over 33,000 facilities located worldwide. Prior to this role, Mr. Ludwig served as the Director of Energy Performance in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment and Energy Resilience where he led an organization responsible for strategy and policy development for DoD installation energy resilience, efficiency, and third-party financing activities.
Mr. Ludwig holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a registered professional engineer in Georgia and a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps.
Last modified November 6, 2024, 12:56pm EST
