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Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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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.
Raymond J. Juzaitis
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 80 | Number 3 | March 1982 | Pages 424-447
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE82-A19829
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A deterministic analysis of the computational cost associated with geometric splitting/Russian roulette in Monte Carlo radiation transport calculations is presented. Appropriate integro-differential equations (based on the theory of Monte Carlo errors) are developed for the first and second moments of the tally as well as for the expected value of time per particle history, given that splitting with Russian roulette takes place at one or more internal surfaces of the geometry. The equations are solved using a standard Sn solution technique, allowing for the prediction of computer cost (formulated as the product of sample variance and time per particle history) associated with a given set of splitting parameters. Extensive numerical results relating to the transport model chosen for study (namely, particle transmission through a semi-infinite slab shield composed of an isotropically scattering medium) are presented. Optimum splitting surface locations and splitting ratios are determined. Single-surface results indicate that the threshold slab thickness for which any splitting becomes cost effective varies from ∼2 to >7 mean-free-paths, depending on the degree of scattering in the medium. When splitting is cost effective, it is so over a wide range of surface locations. Benefits of such an analysis are particularly noteworthy for transport problems in which splitting is apt to be extensively employed (e.g., deep-penetration calculations).