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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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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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.
The Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors Virtual Meeting
Technical Session|Panel|Sponsored by Fuel Materials and Chemistry
Thursday, November 19, 2020|10:00–11:45AM EST
Session Chair:
David Andersson (LANL)
Alternate Chair:
David J. Kropaczek
Track Organizer:
Scott P. Palmtag (NC State Univ.)
Staff Producer:
Brian Andersen (ORNL)
Several of the challenge problems in CASL required accurate nuclear fuel performance modeling capabilities for their solution, especially Pellet-Clad-Interaction (PCI) and Loss-of-Coolant-Accident (LOCA)/Reactivity-Insertions Accident (RIA). In order to address these challenge problems, CASL contributed to the development of the Bison fuel performance code and made significant investments in both capabilities and validation needed for the two challenge problems referenced above. In addition, CASL played a key role in developing Bison capabilities for Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATFs). Fuel performance modeling is closely tied to the underlying materials models. In several cases, CASL sought better models using multi-scale materials modeling and simulation techniques, which are particularly important for ATF concepts where experimental data is scarce. This panel session will discuss materials and nuclear fuel performance modeling performed in CASL. It will highlight historical perspectives, accomplishments, lessons-learned and remaining challenges.
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Materials and Fuel Performance Modeling History and Future Needs
David Andersson (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Joseph Y.R. Rashid (Structural Integrity Associates, Inc.), Chris Stanek (Los Alamos National Laboratory), Brian D. Wirth (University of Tennessee Knoxville), Jason Hales (Idaho National Laboratory), Richard L. Williamson (Idaho National Laboratory)
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