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
Young Members Group
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.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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
Jul 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
Antoaneta Roca, Yuan-Hao Liu, Ray Moss, Finn Stecher-Rasmussen, Sander Nievaart
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 1 | October 2009 | Pages 196-201
Dosimetry | Special Issue on the 11th International Conference on Radiation Shielding and the 15th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division (Part 1) / Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT09-A9125
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Generally, the determination of the gamma-ray dose in a mixed neutron-gamma field is obtained by using "neutron-insensitive" detectors. For this purpose, graphite, magnesium, and aluminum ionization chambers are available. It is known that graphite chambers suffer from porosity, and magnesium chambers encounter oxidation and manufacturing problems. So far, the aluminum chamber is mostly applied in fast neutron fields. This study presents the results of an aluminum chamber, flushed with argon gas, when applied in a neutron and gamma mixed field. A computer model of the ionization chamber is developed for an accurate interpretation of the responses. Special interest is given to the charge that can be measured after the irradiation has stopped, which is due to decay of 28Al.The Monte Carlo code MCNPX is used to simulate the neutrons, gammas, and charged particles in and around the Al-Ar chamber. The detector is modeled in detail, and all possible reactions that can occur in the materials of the chamber are incorporated. The response of the Al-Ar chamber is compared with the results of a Mg-Ar chamber in terms of collected charge.All individual components contributing to the signal of the detector are identified and calculated. Although the decay charge produced by aluminum is much higher, in comparison to magnesium, a better estimation of the gamma dose is expected when the decay charge in aluminum can be accurately determined. Another advantage is that the higher activation in Al can be used for identifying the neutron contribution. Despite the great detail in the model used, there is an [approximately]25% discrepancy between the experimental and simulated total charges for both the Mg-Ar and Al-Ar chambers, which evidently requires further investigation.The Al-Ar chamber can be used complementarily to the Mg-Ar chamber as gamma dosimeter in a mixed field of neutrons and gammas.