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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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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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What’s the most difficult question you’ve been asked as a maintenance instructor?
Blye Widmar
"Where are the prints?!"
This was the final question in an onslaught of verbal feedback, comments, and critiques I received from my students back in 2019. I had two years of instructor experience and was teaching a class that had been meticulously rehearsed in preparation for an accreditation visit. I knew the training material well and transferred that knowledge effectively enough for all the students to pass the class. As we wrapped up, I asked the students how they felt about my first big system-level class, and they did not hold back.
“Why was the exam from memory when we don’t work from memory in the plant?” “Why didn’t we refer to the vendor documents?” “Why didn’t we practice more on the mock-up?” And so on.
Lester Goldstein, Alfred A. Strasser
Nuclear Technology | Volume 60 | Number 3 | March 1983 | Pages 352-361
Technical Paper | LWR Control Materials—I and II / Nuclear Fuel | doi.org/10.13182/NT83-A33122
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Extended cycle lengths and fuel burnups are receiving increased attention. Frequently, the attendant fuel management strategies in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) require burnable poison shims to control power distribution and to maintain a negative moderator coefficient. High energy (∼450 effective full-power days) fuel cycles utilizing both out-in and low-leakage assembly placement schemes provide some insight to the relative merits of UO2-Gd2O3 (gadolinia)- versus boron-bearing shims for PWR applications. Relative to using boron-bearing burnable shims in PWRs, gadolinia has important potential advantages and disadvantages. With proper application, the advantages point to a reduction in fuel cycle costs and increased fuel management flexibility. However, for proper application, the more complex gadolinia neutronics and thermal-mechanical design characteristics must be modeled accurately.
