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Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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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.
C. D. Bowman, D. C. Bowman, T. Hill, J. Long, A. P. Tonchev, W. Tornow, F. Trouw, Sven Vogel, R. L. Walter, S. Wender, V. Yuan
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 159 | Number 2 | June 2008 | Pages 182-198
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE159-182
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
High-resolution Bragg-edge transmission measurements were conducted on granular as well as solid samples of graphite to understand the basis for a bulk measurement of the diffusion length 24% larger than predicted by MCNP5 for bulk reactor-grade graphite. High resolution enabled a measurement of the total diffraction cross section from 1 to 200 meV. This was subtracted from the total cross section to find the inelastic cross section in the same energy range. Small-angle scattering, which has been thought to contribute to the total cross section in the region of the lowest Bragg edge, is shown not to be present in our measurement or in those of others claiming to find it. Instead, neutron total reflection from the surface of graphite microcrystals is shown to contribute to the cross section at low energies. Reactor-grade graphite is shown to have an inelastic scattering cross section over most of the energy range larger by at least 10 than the nearly perfect crystal structure of pyrolytic graphite. The ratio of inelastic scattering to diffraction at 25 meV for our graphite is inferred to be twice as large as that of graphite manufactured 50 yr ago, and we believe that our larger diffusion coefficient is rooted in this difference. The distortions in the microcrystalline structure introduced in the manufacturing of the graphite studied here at 24°C are found to be equivalent to the uncertainty in atom positions seen in heating perfect crystal graphite to a temperature of ~1800°C.