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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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
The legacy of Windscale Pile No. 1
The core of Pile No. 1 at Windscale caught fire in the fall of 1957. The incident, rated a level 5, “Accident with Wider Consequences,” by the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), has since inspired nuclear safety culture, risk assessment, accident modeling, and emergency preparedness. Windscale also helped show how important communication and transparency are to gaining trust and public support.
C. E. Meyer, N. P. Mueller, M. Plumier, M. G. Watts, R. Leroy, C. J. Saint-Mard
Nuclear Technology | Volume 59 | Number 1 | October 1982 | Pages 14-19
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT82-A33049
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A demonstration of reduced temperature return-to-power was performed at the 920-gross-MW(electric) Tihange nuclear station in Belgium. A rapid power escalation of 320-MW(electric) in gross output was achieved using control rod withdrawal and moderator temperature reduction. Of that total, 230 MW(electric) was achieved on a core reactivity increase provided by a 9 K (16°F) drop in moderator temperature. Digital computer calculations and analog simulations accurately predicted both core and systems response.