ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2025
Nuclear Technology
April 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
L. Henderson, R. Stead
Nuclear Technology | Volume 29 | Number 2 | May 1976 | Pages 174-190
Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31577
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A review of the Magnox Reactor experience shows the progressive development of the steam generator with increasing power density giving rise to more severe restrictions in fabrication of the steam generator elements into the boiler matrix. This has given rise to a steadily increasing demand for mechanized fabrication techniques to ensure adequate precision during manufacture. Successful operation of the once-through system in conjunction with the annular disposition of the boiler units in the prestressed concrete pressure vessel made the Oldbury A Magnox station a natural basis for development of the Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor (AGR) system. The principal criteria in selection of material are the higher temperature and the more aggressive CO2 coolant which contrasts with the need to avoid evaporation in austenitic material. Breakaway corrosion has limited carbon steel to a maximum of 350°C, while a minimum superheat of 50°C is considered necessary to avoid stress corrosion cracking in the austenitic section of a once-through boiler required by the AGR maximum gas temperatures of 634°C. Evidence of potential breakaway corrosion in 9% Cr—1% Mo at 550°C and above has caused concern for long-term operation at lower temperatures and has resulted in the maximum metal temperature being reduced to 450°C with resulting narrower margins on the degree of superheat. This has resulted in an extensive stress corrosion program aimed at defining the risk parameters prior to commissioning the first AGR station. Identification of fretting phenomena associated with the design of Hinkley B steam generator supports resulted in a welded support design and an extensive substantiation program on the integrity of the support system. The practical implication of the material chosen in the design and the manufacture of the steam generators for the Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B plants have emphasized the importance attached to quality control, typically during manipulation of bends.