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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
January 2026
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December 2025
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Latest News
Blades-in turbine inspections at Quad Cities set new benchmark for Constellation
When Constellation decided to install replacement Alstom low-pressure turbines at three of its boiling water reactor plants more than 15 years ago, one benefit was knowing the new turbines should operate reliably—and without major inspections—for several years.
E. Studer, D. Abdo, S. Benteboula, G. Bernard-Michel, B. Cariteau, N. Coulon, F. Dabbene, Ph. Debesse, S. Koudriakov, C. Ledier, J.-P. Magnaud, O. Norvez, J.-L. Widloecher, A. Beccantini, S. Gounand, J. Brinster
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 9 | September 2020 | Pages 1361-1373
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1731406
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The containment of a nuclear reactor is a component whose loss in an accident has serious consequences on property, persons, and environment. The Fukushima accident reminded us of this reality. For more than 30 years, the French Nuclear Energy and Alternative Energies Commission has been conducting research on the failure modes of these enclosures, particularly on their slow pressurization during a steam release and hydrogen risk. Significant progress has been made on wall condensation and its spatial distribution, the occurrence and erosion of gas stratification, and the impact of mitigation systems, such as spraying and catalytic recombiners. This knowledge has been included in numerical tools and internationally recognized expertise. These tools have also been used for the safety of the hydrogen energy industry. The emergence of new systems, particularly passive systems and new light water reactor concepts, has led us to examine new questions that will have to be addressed in the coming years. This examination is done in view of current computational fluid dynamics code capabilities and limitations.