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Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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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.
Melvin Reier
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 43 | Number 3 | March 1971 | Pages 267-272
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE71-A19972
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A germanium crystal has been used to measure the absolute intensity of gamma rays from the decay of 238Pu, 212Pb, 212Bi, and 208Tl in a 1 ½-W SNAP-15A heat source. In practically all cases, agreement with other measurements is excellent. In addition, the amount of 236Pu impurity originally present in the sample can be measured with an accuracy of 4%. It is estimated that the 236Pu content in a fuel sample that is several months old can easily be measured with an accuracy of 10%.