Nuclear Matinee: Removal of Spent Fuel from Fukushima Pool No. 4

November 22, 2013, 7:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

News out of Fukushima-Daiichi this week is encouraging:  TEPCO successfully transferred the first batch of fuel rod assemblies from the reactor unit No. 4 spent fuel pool to a common fuel pool building offering longer-term stable storage conditions. Completing the process for the more than 1,000 fuel rod assemblies that remain at No. 4 is projected to take a year, and will be a first major step toward decommissioning of the site.

Past, Present and Promise 2: The N.S. Savannah… Then

November 14, 2013, 7:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

savannah 240x160

NS Savannah

An odd sidelight of my years in the Navy as a Reactor Operator was the time that we were called upon to perform work on the preserved ships at Patriot's Point Naval Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.  This interlude allowed me to become intimately familiar with a ship that was totally out of place at that anchorage of the aged: the nuclear powered commercial ship N.S. Savannah.

Nuclear Undone: A Familiar Advocate Takes Charge

November 13, 2013, 12:18PMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

Lenka Kollar

Readers of the ANS Nuclear Cafe blog will have seen, from time to time, the work of Lenka Kollar, educating and informing about a wide variety of nuclear issues.  Kollar, formerly of Argonne National Laboratory, has made the bold decision to make her own way as a nuclear advocate and consultant. We had a chance to catch up with Ms. Kollar during the 2013 American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. and ask her a few questions about her just-launched and exciting new initiative Nuclear Undone.

Realistic look at Small Modular Reactors in Idaho

November 5, 2013, 4:57PMANS Nuclear CafeRod Adams

From October 30 through November 1, 2013, a group of about 150 people with questioning attitudes about small, modular reactors (SMRs) met in Idaho Falls, Idaho.  They were treated to a number of presentations that described the technical progress that has been made so far and also provided a realistic, sobering look at the long, challenging development path that must be traversed to allow the technology to begin contributing to the world's energy security.

More Great Places to Dine at the ANS Winter Meeting

October 31, 2013, 4:57PMANS Nuclear CafeMimi Limbach

My husband and I have lived in Washington, D.C. for 18 years, and we've been amazed at how the city's dining options have evolved.  In a previous blog, I focused on the high-end and classic places where you'll find great food and sometimes see celebrities.  This blog focuses on the places where people who live here enjoy dining and where they often find bargains.  For attendees of the American Nuclear Society's annual Winter Meeting on November 10-14, Washington provides the perfect setting for great dining.

Dr. Piyush Sabharwall, Recipient of the 2013 ANS Young Member Excellence Award

October 30, 2013, 2:46PMANS Nuclear CafeKaty Huff

Young Member Group 200x52The Young Member Excellence Award recognizes "a young member who has demonstrated overall excellence in a variety of areas."  It is granted to an actively involved ANS YMG member who "advances the goals of the ANS Young Members Group, displays outstanding non-technical skills as well as technical or managerial ability, is recognized by others in their field, demonstrates high quality and safety standards, and positively represents nuclear science and technology to the general population."