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Division Spotlight
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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.
A. Galperin, Y. Kimhy
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 109 | Number 1 | September 1991 | Pages 103-110
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE91-A23848
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The heuristic search method for generation and optimization of pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel reload configurations is developed and implemented in a research prototype. This is used to test the method on a sequence of typical PWR reload problems. Applying the method to a problem of reload with burnable poisons (BPs) helps avoid decoupling the fuel configuration problem from the reactivity control BP problem. Thus, better and physically transparent solutions are obtained. In another example, an attempt to achieve the flattest possible power distribution demonstrates the flexibility of the method. Finally, the potential of developing the method into a practical software tool for routine use by fuel-management engineers in industry is demonstrated.