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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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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Latest News
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.
Robert S. Wick
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 35 | Number 1 | January 1969 | Pages 118-126
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE69-A21120
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Water-hammer theory is extended to the fuel assembly configuration of concentric annular fuel elements and flow passages. The analysis shows that due to the coupling of the hydraulic effects in adjacent coolant passages to each other through an elastic structure separating them, several modes of pressure wave propagation are possible. These compression (and rarefaction) waves travel at velocities less than the velocity of sound in the fluid depending on the dimensions of the fuel elements and flow passages. The existence of these compression and rarefaction waves traveling at different velocities leads to complex pressure disturbance patterns as a function of time, which may be of importance in fatigue analysis of the structure or possibly in determining whether or not voids could form as a result of the rarefaction waves. The analysis is general enough that it can be extended to include a wide variety of configurations when it is desirous to evaluate the effect of hydraulic pressure waves on fuel element performance.