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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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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.
Wayne K. Lehto, John M. Carpenter
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 33 | Number 2 | August 1968 | Pages 225-237
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE68-A20660
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Fission rate fluctuations at low power in a reactor with a large fission-product inventory have been observed in the pool-type Ford Nuclear Reactor. A gaseous Cerenkov detector was used to sense the high-energy, prompt-fission gamma rays in the presence of a fission-product gamma field of 105 to 106 R/h. The ratio β/l is determined from the cross power spectral density of the fluctuations in the signals from two of these detectors. Both this spectrum and the power spectral density of the output of a single detector show a large low-frequency component. This is attributed to moderator temperature fluctuations present when the fission-product decay heat is removed by natural circulation of the coolant. The temperature fluctuations as measured with a short-time-constant thermocouple are shown to be correlated to those in the fission rate. The detector is described, as well as a basis for calculating its performance and efficiency. A theory of the gamma noise experiment that reveals the effects of the detector on the measured spectrum is presented.