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Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
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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.”
Selim Sancaktar, T. van de Venne
Nuclear Technology | Volume 91 | Number 1 | July 1990 | Pages 112-117
Technical Paper | Safety of Next Generation Power Reactor / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34447
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Insights obtained from various probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) studies performed by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and associates on new pressurized water reactor (PWR) designs are briefly discussed and compared. The discussion is limited to internal initiating events since external event analysis requires site-specific data. The plant core melt frequency resulting from these initiating events is used as the measure to identify dominant accident sequences. The initiating events, failures of frontline safety systems and their support systems, operator actions, and consequential failures are used to measure the response of each design to various safety issues discussed. A conventional PWR plant is used as the base to compare the features of the different designs and the insights obtained from the PRA studies. The cases discussed include (a) a conventional PWR plant design (Westinghouse), (b) a Progetto Unificato Nucleare design (Westinghouse and Ansaldo), (c) a Sizewell-B design (Westinghouse and National Nuclear Corporation), and (d) an advanced PWR design (Westinghouse and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries). In studies (b), (c), and (d), PRAs are performed in the early design stages to evaluate the effect of primary safety and support systems on the plant core melt frequency. The results of the PRA evaluations are used, together with other considerations, to make appropriate design modifications. The experience obtained from studies (b), (c), and (d) leads to the conclusion that PRAs are effective in supporting early plant design efforts for engineered safety systems. Probabilistic risk analysis models provide an additional decision-making tool to evaluate the importance and effect of various design alternatives.
