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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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May 2025
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April 2025
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Latest News
El Salvador: Looking to nuclear
In 2022, El Salvador’s leadership decided to expand its modest, mostly hydro- and geothermal-based electricity system, which is supported by expensive imported natural gas and diesel generation. They chose to use advanced nuclear reactors, preferably fueled by thorium-based fuels, to power their civilian efforts. The choice of thorium was made to inform the world that the reactor program was for civilian purposes only, and so they chose a fuel that was plentiful, easy to source and work with, and not a proliferation risk.
Yuchuan Guo, Guanbo Wang, Dazhi Qian, Heng Yu, Bo Hu, Xiangmiao Mi, Simao Guo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 204 | Number 1 | October 2018 | Pages 15-24
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2018.1469345
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A flow blockage analysis model of a single channel is established using the best-estimate code RELAP5/MOD3.4. The reactor core is divided into seven hot channels, one average channel, one bypass channel, and corresponding fuel plates to take into account the interaction between the obstructed channel and adjacent channels. The coolant system is also modeled in detail to perform a better estimation. As a typical pool-type research reactor, JRR-3M is chosen for the analysis. The results indicate that the model can effectively simulate a single-channel blockage accident using the RELAP5/MOD3.4 code. Also, the thermal-hydraulic parameters in the blocked channel would be significantly affected if bubbles are generated as the blockage ratio continues to increase, which may damage the integrity of the fuel plate. Meanwhile, as for flow blockage of a single channel, the effect on adjacent channels is limited, even under high-blockage-ratio conditions.
