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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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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!
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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.
Gaston Kayser, Jean Charpenel, Claude Jamond
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 128 | Number 2 | February 1998 | Pages 144-185
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE98-A1950
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The SCARABEE-N in-pile tests were performed between 1983 and 1990. Their main objective was to study the consequences of a hypothetical total instantaneous blockage (TIB) at the entrance of a liquid-metal reactor subassembly at full power. After 14 tests, mainly with fresh fuel, this accident scenario may be fairly well described. It has been shown that no violent, energetic fuel/coolant interactions take place, that almost no fuel is ejected out of the fissile zone, and that the melt penetration into the neighboring subassemblies proceeds rapidly. Progress has been made on understanding the behavior of mixed boiling pools, and hexcan melt-through thresholds can be established.Codes have been developed (PHYSURA-GRAPPE and SURFASS), and SCARABEE-N tests have been used to help in the evaluation of others (SIMMER II and SABRE). Interesting information for other accident situations has been made available, especially for the transition phase.Concerning the specific case of the TIB accident, it has been shown that the evolution of the molten zone can be represented by calculations in which energy equations play the essential role. For a Superphénix-type subassembly, PHYSURA-GRAPPE and analytic calculations show that after ~30 s after the beginning of the blockage, there exists a serious risk of propagation beyond a 7-subassembly pool. This can be prevented only by an adequate detection system leading to scram before this time.The SCARABEE-N program helped to solve the problem for which it was designed; moreover, it yielded scientific expertise for other areas and was a precious training ground for many safety scientists and engineers. It also showed the limits of so-called mechanistic models for very complex problems and the sustained usefulness of simple engineering reasoning.