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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
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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.
Joong Seok Suh, Samuel H. Levine
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 105 | Number 4 | August 1990 | Pages 371-382
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE90-A21471
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An efficient reload core design method, applicable to a commercial pressurized water reactor, has been developed. The objective of the reload core design is to achieve the maximum cycle length. The optimization of the reload core design is effected in three stages:. Use a linear programming method to find an optimum beginning-of-cycle (BOC) k∞ distribution, which yields maximum keffat the end of cycle when depleted by the Haling power distribution. Individual fuel assemblies are then loaded into the core using the optimum BOC k∞ distribution as a guide. Compute the optimum burnable poison requirements in parts per million/billion and their corresponding boron carbide weight percents for the fresh fuel assemblies using the gradient projection method. Deplete the optimum design using an accurate analysis. The application of the method to Three Mile Island Unit 1 (TMI-1) cycles 5 and 6 has shown that an optimum loading pattern for maximum cycle length is a low-leakage core. Compared with the TMI-1 loading patterns, the optimization has yielded an increase in cycle length by 12 effective full-power days (EFPDs) in cycle 6 and 41 EFPDs in cycle 5 plus saving about $3 million in fuel cost. The reason for the greater improvement in cycle 5 is that the cycle 5 loading pattern was a high-leakage core and the optimum design is a low-leakage core. The computer time required for computing one reload core design is ∼400 s on the IBM-3090 computer.