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Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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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 F. Carew, Kai Hu
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 152 | Number 3 | March 2006 | Pages 256-273
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE06-A2580
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The changes in the energy dependence of the neutron removal cross section at the vessel inner wall water/steel interface produce a substantial shift in the neutron spectrum as the fluence propagates into the pressure vessel. To account for this spectral shift, Regulatory Guide 1.99, Revision 2 requires that the fluence used in determining the reference temperature for nil-ductility transition RTNDT be extrapolated from the pressure vessel inner surface using the displacements per atom (dpa).The strong azimuthal and axial variation of the fluence at the vessel inner wall results in a substantial redistribution of the fluence as it propagates through the vessel due to transverse neutron leakage (i.e., perpendicular to the radial direction through the vessel). This transverse leakage tends to increase the dpa radial attenuation in regions of high fluence and reduce the attenuation in regions of low fluence.A series of pressure vessel fluence calculations has been carried out to determine the effect of (a) the transverse neutron leakage and (b) the plant-specific reactor design configuration on the radial attenuation of the dpa through the vessel. The calculations were performed for four operating pressurized water reactors and were carried out using the methods described in U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulatory Guide 1.190. The calculations were performed with the DORT discrete ordinates transport code using ENDF/B-VI neutron transport and dpa cross sections.The transverse leakage is found to introduce a substantial variation of the dpa attenuation rate over the inner surface of the vessel. In the belt-line region opposite the core, the transverse leakage results in an ~6 to 14% azimuthal variation and an ~3 to 11% axial variation in the dpa at a 15-cm depth into the vessel, depending on the plant configuration.In order to simplify the determination of RTNDT in probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses, conservative belt-line and reflector region dpa attenuation rates have been determined. Plant-specific analytic expressions for the radial dependence of the dpa through the vessel have also been determined.