ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
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
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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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February 2025
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How to talk about nuclear
In your career as a professional in the nuclear community, chances are you will, at some point, be asked (or volunteer) to talk to at least one layperson about the technology you know and love. You might even be asked to present to a whole group of nonnuclear folks, perhaps as a pitch to some company tangential to your company’s business. So, without further ado, let me give you some pointers on the best way to approach this important and surprisingly complicated task.
G. Klotzkin, R. F. Valentine, C. A. Flanagan, J. C. Stachew
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 44 | Number 3 | June 1971 | Pages 413-422
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE71-A20172
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A series of experiments performed at the High Temperature Test Facility of the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory indicated that placing lead in the water-reflector region of a water-moderated thermal reactor causes the reactivity of the core to increase. Two-dimensional diffusion theory calculations of the above-mentioned experiments also predicted this, but undercalculated the Δk/k effect of 6 in. of lead by 25%. In addition, two-dimensional diffusion theory and Monte Carlo calculations were used to analyze the reactivity effect of a lead shipping container surrounding a Seed 2 cluster from Shippingport Core 2. All the calculations revealed that the presence of lead in the reflector region of a water-moderated core causes the reactivity of the core to be significantly higher than a core with a pure-water reflector.
