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
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 Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
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Latest News
BWXT will scout potential TRISO fuel production sites in Wyoming
BWX Technologies Inc. announced today that its Advanced Technologies subsidiary has signed a cooperation agreement with the state of Wyoming to evaluate locations and requirements for siting a potential new TRISO nuclear fuel fabrication facility in the state.
Calvin C. Silverstein
Nuclear Technology | Volume 1 | Number 2 | April 1965 | Pages 145-150
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT65-A20481
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A thermodynamic engine which converts heat generated by a radioisotope into mechanical energy pulses is described. The mechanical energy pulses are produced by first heating a curved bimetallic disk to a temperature at which it becomes unstable and reverses curvature and then by cooling the disk to a temperature where it again becomes unstable and assumes its original curvature. The initial disk curvature is determined by the operating temperature limits desired and physical properties of the disk components. An approximate theoretical analysis of engine performance has been carried out. For a mean disk temperature of 434° F (223° C), a maximum engine temperature of 750° F (399° C), a minimum engine temperature of 68° F (20° C), and a disk temperature change of 50° F (28° C), an ideal output of 10 W-s/cycle appears attainable from an engine with the following characteristics: disk thickness 0.075 in. (1.91 mm), disk diameter 3.5 in. (8.9 cm), radioisotope thermal power 150 W, and cycle time 11 s.