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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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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.
John Paul Kuspa, Nick Tsoulfanidis
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 52 | Number 1 | September 1973 | Pages 117-123
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE73-A23294
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Buildup factors for gamma rays traversing slab shields have been obtained using the Monte Carlo method. Secondary particles produced inside the shield were taken into account, with special attention given to the contribution of bremsstrahlung which is produced by electrons and positrons. The results indicate that annihilation gamma rays from pair production do increase the buildup factor a little, but that the bremsstrahlung contribution is much more pronounced. The contribution of bremsstrahlung to the dose buildup factor reaches 33% of its total value for 8-MeV gamma rays traversing 5 mean-free-paths of lead. For single-material shields, the results agree well with the experiment. For double-material shields, comparison with experiment is not possible due to the lack of such data.
