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
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
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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
Jan 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2025
Nuclear Technology
January 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Article considers incorporation of AI into nuclear power plant operations
The potential application of artificial intelligence to the operation of nuclear power plants is explored in an article published in late December in the Washington Examiner. The article, written by energy and environment reporter Callie Patteson, presents the views of a number of experts, including Yavuz Arik, a strategic energy consultant.
Michael J. Zavisca, J. Michael Doster
Nuclear Technology | Volume 109 | Number 1 | January 1995 | Pages 76-86
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT95-A35069
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Finite difference schemes currently applied to the modeling of two-phase flows in flow networks exhibit difficulties in properly simulating certain spatial and temporal discontinuities. These discontinuities include points along the one-dimensional flow axis where density and other thermophysical properties become discontinuous or experience rapid state domain changes. A methodology for treating spatial and temporal discontinuities is presented. This methodology consists of three main features: (a) subnode time-averaged do-noring of thermodynamic properties, (b) a variable pressure-at-discontinuity staggered mesh discretization, and (c) a variable point state equation linearization. The proposed scheme is similar in form to standard semi-implicit, staggered mesh discretizations, requires little extra overhead, and results in substantially improved accuracy and code execution times. Comparisons are made with standard time and spatial discretizations, as well as with two simpler alternate methods for recognizing and tracking discontinuities. The first of these attempts is to adjust the time-step size such that the fluid discontinuity arrives at a node boundary, or a change in fluid state occurs precisely at the end of a time advancement. The second attempts to redistribute mass and energy to correct for improperly donored values when a discontinuity crosses a node boundary during a time step. Neither of these alternatives proved adequate.