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Division Spotlight
Education, Training & Workforce Development
The Education, Training & Workforce Development Division provides communication among the academic, industrial, and governmental communities through the exchange of views and information on matters related to education, training and workforce development in nuclear and radiological science, engineering, and technology. Industry leaders, education and training professionals, and interested students work together through Society-sponsored meetings and publications, to enrich their professional development, to educate the general public, and to advance nuclear and radiological science and engineering.
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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Latest News
Optimizing Maintenance Strategies in Power Generation: Embracing Predictive and Preventive Approaches
In the high-stakes world of power generation, ensuring continuous operation and reducing downtime are central priorities. With the increasing complexity of power generation systems, maintenance practices are evolving to meet these demands more efficiently. Understanding the roles of Predictive Maintenance (PdM), Preventive Maintenance (PM), and Reactive Maintenance (Run-to-Failure) is crucial for maintenance professionals in the energy sector to make informed decisions about equipment management and long-term operational strategy.
Blair P. Bromley, Geoffrey W. R. Edwards, Pranavan Sambavalingam
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 182 | Number 3 | March 2016 | Pages 263-286
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE15-19
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Lattice and core physics modeling and calculations have been performed to quantify the impact of power/flux levels and power history on the reactivity and achievable burnup for 35-element fuel bundles made with thorium-based fuels, such as (Pu,Th)O2 and (233U,Th)O2. These bundles are designed to produce on the order of 20 MWd/kg burnup in homogeneous cores in a 700-MW(electric)–class pressure-tube heavy water reactor, operating on a once-through thorium cycle. Methods have been developed to model time-dependent power histories in lattice physics calculations that are more consistent with core physics analysis results. Results demonstrate that the impact of power/flux level and the modeling of time-dependent power histories on the core power distributions and achievable fuel burnup are modest for Pu/Th fuels but are more significant for 233U/Th fuels. Thus, to reduce the neutron capture rate in 233Pa and to increase fuel burnup and fissile utilization, there may be an incentive to develop solutions to reduce the time-average specific power in the fuel.