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The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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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Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Vaclav Dostal, Pavel Hejzlar, Neil E. Todreas, Jacopo Buongiorno
Nuclear Technology | Volume 147 | Number 3 | September 2004 | Pages 388-405
Technical Paper | Medium-Power Lead-Alloy Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT147-388
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Proper selection of the power conversion cycle is a very important step in the design of a nuclear reactor. Due to the higher core outlet temperature (~550°C) compared to that of light water reactors (~300°C), a wide portfolio of power cycles is available for the lead alloy fast reactor (LFR). Comparison of the following cycles for the LFR was performed: superheated steam (direct and indirect), supercritical steam, helium Brayton, and supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) recompression. Heat transfer from primary to secondary coolant was first analyzed and then the steam generators or heat exchangers were designed. The direct generation of steam in the lead alloy coolant was also evaluated. The resulting temperatures of the secondary fluids are in the range of 530-545°C, dictated by the fixed space available for the heat exchangers in the reactor vessel. For the direct steam generation situation, the temperature is 312°C. Optimization of each power cycle was carried out, yielding net plant efficiency of around 40% for the superheated steam cycle while the supercritical steam and S-CO2 cycles achieved net plant efficiency of 41%. The cycles were then compared based on their net plant efficiency and potential for low capital cost. The superheated steam cycle is a very good candidate cycle given its reasonably high net plant efficiency and ease of implementation based on the extensive knowledge and operating experience with this cycle. Although the supercritical steam cycle net plant efficiency is slightly better than that of the superheated steam cycle, its high complexity and high pressure result in higher capital cost, negatively affecting plant economics. The helium Brayton cycle achieves low net plant efficiency due to the low lead alloy core outlet temperature, and therefore, even though it is a simpler cycle than the steam cycles, its performance is mediocre in this application. The prime candidate, however, appears to be the S-CO2 recompression cycle, because it achieves about the same net plant efficiency as the supercritical steam cycle and is significantly simpler than the steam cycles. Moreover, the S-CO2 cycle offers a significantly higher potential for an increase in efficiency than steam cycles, after better materials allow the LFR operating temperatures to be increased. Therefore, the S-CO2 is chosen as the reference cycle for the LFR, with the superheated or supercritical steam cycles as backups if the S-CO2 cycle development efforts do not succeed.
