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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
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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 Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
A series of firsts delivers new Plant Vogtle units
Southern Nuclear was first when no one wanted to be.
The nuclear subsidiary of the century-old utility Southern Company, based in Atlanta, Ga., joined a pack of nuclear companies in the early 2000s—during what was then dubbed a “nuclear renaissance”—bullish on plans for new large nuclear facilities and adding thousands of new carbon-free megawatts to the grid.
In 2008, Southern Nuclear applied for a combined construction and operating license (COL), positioning the company to receive the first such license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2012. Also in 2008, Southern became the first U.S. company to sign an engineering, procurement, and construction contract for a Generation III+ reactor. Southern chose Westinghouse’s AP1000 pressurized water reactor, which was certified by the NRC in December 2011.
Fast forward a dozen years—which saw dozens of setbacks and hundreds of successes—and Southern Nuclear and its stakeholders celebrated the completion of Vogtle Units 3 and 4: the first new commercial nuclear power construction project completed in the U.S. in more than 30 years.
M. M. Günther, J. Schütrumpf, A. Britz, K. Vogt, K. Sonnabend, M. Roth
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 61 | Number 1 | January 2012 | Pages 231-236
Fusion-Fission Hybrids and Transmutation | Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A13425
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We present a novel nuclear activation-based method for the investigation of high-energy photons and electron dynamics within the laser-plasma interaction zone. This method is based on high density activation targets which are a pseudoalloy of several selected isotopes with different photo-neutron disintegration reaction thresholds. The gamma decay spectrum emitted by the activated target is used for the reconstruction of the bremsstrahlung spectrum generated by the electrons. This allows for the reconstruction of the spectrum of bremsstrahlung photons without any anticipated fit procedures. Furthermore, the characterization of the electrons in the interaction zone is accessible immediately.The consolidated findings about the interaction mechanisms could be used to realize, control and characterize laser driven particle generation, such as a pulsed neutron source for nuclear and material sciences using special target designs and materials in a pseudoalloic compound of isotopes. An additional application is the laser assisted nuclear transmutation to produce short-lived isotopes with activities suitable for medical diagnostics and therapy.
