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Division Spotlight
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.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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 Technology
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Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
Masatoshi Yamasaki, Hironobu Unesaki, Akio Yamamoto, Toshikazu Takeda, Masaaki Mori
Nuclear Technology | Volume 183 | Number 2 | August 2013 | Pages 178-193
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-A18110
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The use of high-enrichment fuels, e.g., fuels with >5 wt% 235U, is an effective method of reducing the number of spent-fuel assemblies and improving fuel cycle economics. However, from a criticality safety point of view, such high enrichment levels would entail considerable modification of most facilities and equipment, which would require a significant investment. Erbia-credit super-high-burnup fuel offers the potential for an effective solution to this problem. The fuel is based on the concept that small amounts of erbia added to the entire amount of UO2 powder can reduce the reactivity level to less than that observed at a 5 wt% enrichment level, thus eliminating the majority of the modifications mentioned above. In this paper, a feasibility assessment from the viewpoint of fuel cycle economics is performed to confirm the benefits of erbia-credit-fuel implementation. A simple model to consider the erbia penalty is also proposed. The results show that the generation cost can be significantly reduced by using erbia credit, although the fuel cycle cost would not necessarily decrease in any of the cases when the enrichment level is increased. In addition, implementation scenarios of erbia credit are discussed considering the current industrial situation and the reactivity penalty incurred by the usage of erbia fuel. These implementation scenarios are also considered from the viewpoint of energy security.