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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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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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Nuclear new build procurement considerations
It may seem counterintuitive, but the best time to enhance the ability to support operations and maintenance for a new plant is before construction starts. This is one of many lessons learned by the currently operating nuclear fleet. As construction and startup of many nuclear facilities was completed, it quickly became evident that the ability to efficiently support operations and maintenance was limited. Most of the information necessary to establish and manage procurement of spare and replacement items, maintenance, and configuration of the facilities was unavailable and had to be gathered on a case-by-case, “on-demand” basis. Absence of necessary information and the associated challenges resulted in the need for staff augmentation and multiyear-long projects to develop equipment bills of material and maintenance programs and to perform technical evaluations for the huge quantities of spare and replacement items being requested.
Karen Dawn Colins
Nuclear Technology | Volume 209 | Number 4 | April 2023 | Pages 582-594
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2131953
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
From the published results of experiments investigating the effects of delayed hydride cracking (DHC) on spent fuel Zircaloy cladding integrity, relevant data have been extracted and re-analyzed, taking advantage of inferential statistics and an information-theoretic model selection criterion. Statistical tolerance intervals, the method of maximum likelihood estimation, and the Akaike information criterion, corrected for small sample size, were applied to a small sample of measured values of the threshold stress-intensity factor . The purpose was to create a well-grounded probability density function for use in a mathematical model correlating random variates of with important conditions for the initiation of crack growth by DHC, specifically, cladding hoop stress and the depth and shape of surface flaws. A selection criterion purposely designed for small sample sizes and the robust nature of inferential statistics were ideally suited for the intended reevaluation. The fidelity of the mathematical model was protected by the exclusion of any simplifying approximations, e.g., substitution of constants or single-valued descriptive statistics for variables. The probabilistic effect of the random variable was thereby precisely mapped onto the linearly correlated variable, threshold cladding hoop stress, as a function of surface flaw depth and shape. Contour plots of the results constitute significant improvements over previous quantitative single-point estimates of the effects of DHC on spent fuel Zircaloy cladding integrity.