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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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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Latest News
“The time is now” to advance U.S. nuclear—Part 1
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is gearing up to tackle an influx of licensing requests and oversight of advanced nuclear reactor technology, especially small modular reactors.
Jeffrey Lewins, Gordon R. Woodcock, Theodore J. Williamson, Albert L. Babb
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 31 | Number 2 | February 1968 | Pages 272-281
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE68-A18239
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Pontryagin's optimum theory is applied to the problem of determining a flux shutdown program that limits xenon poisoning in a reactor while using the minimum nuclear energy or flux time. The analysis shows several points of difference from the time-optimal problem. Solutions are found for both the unrestricted problem and the problem where the xenon density is restricted within the control period to some maximum acceptable poisoning. The method of solution is new in utilizing a more straightforward optimum theorem and (of necessity) giving the full adjoint solutions. A full solution to the restrained problem shows that a free end-time optimum solution rises at zero flux to the xenon restraint value and follows this value to the target curve, ending the problem. Not only is the energy optimal problem of some practical interest but it makes an excellent illustration of the complications of the continuum solution in optimal control and the very practical need to consider only those solutions satisfying certain state restraints.