ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
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April 2025
Latest News
Penn State and Westinghouse make eVinci microreactor plan official
Penn State and Westinghouse Electric Company are working together to site a new research reactor on Penn State’s University Park, Pa., campus: Westinghouse’s eVinci, a HALEU TRISO-fueled sodium heat-pipe reactor. Penn State has announced that it submitted a letter of intent to host and operate an eVinci reactor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on February 28 and plans to engage with the NRC on specific siting decisions. Penn State already boasts the Breazeale reactor, which began operating in 1955 as the first licensed research reactor at a university in the United States. At 70, the Breazeale reactor is still in operation.
C. F. Bullinger, W. J. Kann
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 3 | Number 4 | April 1958 | Pages 379-386
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE58-A25475
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The control rod drive mechanisms installed on the Argonne Experimental Boiling Water Reactor (EBWR) are of an externally operated lead screw and nut type in which the control rod extension shafts are driven through pressure breakdown, collected leakage seals. The mechanisms which are located below the reactor are fabricated from conventional industrial materials, such as carbon steel, brass, cast iron, nylon, etc., and are lubricated with grease. They may be serviced during reactor operation, and are removable from the reactor without the necessity of draining the reactor vessel. This feature has proven to be worthwhile in operation. The mechanism is adaptable to reactors operating at pressures up to 1500 psi and requiring up to a 6-foot control rod stroke. This paper describes the development of the mechanism, the final design and proof-testing program, and some of the particular design difficulties encountered. Some of the other drive types, including electromagnetic jack, hydraulic, and rotary seal rack-and-pinion, considered for EBWR application, are also discussed.
