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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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!
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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.
George I. Bell
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 21 | Number 3 | March 1965 | Pages 390-401
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE65-1
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We consider the probability, pn(R,t∫; ,,t), that in a multiplying system, a neutron with position velocity , at time t leads to exactly n neutrons in region R of , space at time t∫. By formulating pn in terms of first collision probabilities we derive a non-linear (Boltzmann-like) integro-differential equation for the probability generating function, G. The linearized equation for = 1 - G is shown to be adjoint to the usual Boltzmann equation for the average neutron flux. The behavior of for subcritical and supercritical systems is analyzed. For large t∫-t, it is shown that for subcritical systems approaches zero exponentially, while for supercritical systems → which is a solution of the time-independent non-linear equation for and equals the probability of getting a divergent chain reaction from the initial neutron. In section B, one-velocity theory with isotropic scattering is described in some detail while in section C are outlined the extensions to 1) energy-dependent problems with anisotropic scattering 2) multiple final states, 3) random sources, 4) counting problems, and 5) delayed neutron precursors. In section D methods for solution of equations for G are briefly discussed, and it is shown that the asymptotic behavior may be found from solutions of linear time-independent ‘adjoint α’ and ‘adjoint k’ calculations. Derivation of a point model independent of space and velocity is carried out by an expansion in adjoint α eigenfunctions and the model parameters are shown to differ from those usually assumed in point models.