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Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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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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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.
C. A. Brandon, G. J. Kidd, Jr.
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 32 | Number 1 | April 1968 | Pages 8-15
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE68-A18818
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During a series of in-pile experiments designed to study irradiation effects on high-performance oxide fuel elements for advanced gas-cooled reactors, heat-transfer data were obtained from four specially instrumented fuel rods. An annular geometry was utilized with rods of 1.9- and 2.18-cm diam being contained in channels of 2.44- and 2.67-cm diam, respectively. The effects of wire-wrapped and machined square-thread surface roughness were measured and compared with the results obtained from a smooth rod. The fuel rods contained UO2 pellets of varying enrichment and were clad with type-304 stainless-steel tubing. The test parameters for the data reported are: 1) coolant flow rate from 45 to 150 kg/h of helium at 20 atm which corresponds to Reynolds numbers from 15 000 to 45 000; 2) cladding temperatures to 840°C; and 3) heat fluxes from 30 to 100 W/cm2. The smooth-rod data can be correlated with a standard deviation of ±10% by the expression Roughening the rods increased the heat transfer by approximately a factor of 2 with no significant difference between the wire-wrapped and machined roughnesses. The results are generally found to be in good agreement with the results of previous heat-transfer studies. Some consequences of using heat-transfer promoters in nuclear reactor fuel elements are discussed.