ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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
Aug 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2024
Latest News
New laws offer nuclear industry incentives for existing power plant uprates
This year, the U.S. nuclear industry received a much-needed economic boost that could help preserve operating nuclear power plants and incentivize upgrades that extend their lifespan and power output.
Signed into law in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act offers production tax credits (PTCs) for existing nuclear power plants and either PTCs or investment tax credits (ITCs) for new carbon-free generation. These credits could make power uprates—increasing the maximum power level at which a commercial plant may operate—a much more appealing option for utilities.
Raymond L. Murray, Carroll R. Bingham, Chreston F. Martin
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 18 | Number 4 | April 1964 | Pages 481-490
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE64-A18767
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Solutions of the reactor kinetics equations for the reactivity variation required to achieve specified power responses are presented. This inverse approach is shown to extend the physical understanding of reactor behavior, to have utility in reactor operations, and to admit closed solutions for many otherwise non-linear problems. The inverse method is demonstrated by several examples: heating of a reactor at constant power, a ramp power rise followed by a constant level or by a linear drop, an oscillatory power, and a smooth transition betwen levels. Effects of a negative temperature coefficient may be described in terms of an additional fictitious delayed group. The constant-period response is shown to be optimum for a transition between two power levels.