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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!
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Jul 2024
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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.”
Bret van den Akker, Abiodun Adeniyi (ORNL), Halim Alsaed (Enviro Nuclear Services), Jim Blink (Beckman & Assoc), Joe Carter, Tom Severynse, Bob Jones (SRNL)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 402-409
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies are stored in pools or dry casks at commercial reactor sites pending transfer to an interim storage facility (ISF) or a geologic repository for disposal. The cost of disposal will be dependent on the repository’s geology and size, as well as the number and size of waste packages requiring emplacement. To meet acceptance criteria for repository waste package loading, fuel in dry storage may require repackaging into smaller quantities. A modular packaging facility design has been developed for fuel stored in dry casks at reactor sites or an ISF, as well as bare fuel assemblies shipped directly from reactor fuel pools. This facility provides for receipt and packaging of 1,500 metric tons (MT) of fuel annually. Three sizes of storage, transportation and disposal canisters have been evaluated (a 4 pressurized water reactor (PWR)/9 boiling water reactor (BWR) can-in-carrier concept, a 12-PWR/32-BWR fuel canister, and a 21-PWR/44-BWR fuel canister) to determine the effect on facility throughput. Cost estimates have been developed for the packaging facility, and operating costs have been determined for packaging 1,500 MT of SNF per year.
Higher throughputs could be achieved for bare fuel because process steps for transfer and opening of the dual-purpose canister (DPC) are not necessary. Results from system modeling indicate that even for the more restrictive case where all fuel is received in DPCs, the desired throughput of 1,500 MT/year could be attained for the receipt basis of 1,000 MT PWR and 500 MT BWR fuel. Transfer of the fuel from transportation casks (TCs) (bare fuel) or DPCs to disposal canisters would be performed in a pool. The loaded canisters would be sealed, dried, and leak tested prior to being loaded into TCs for transport to a geologic repository or to an ISF. Additional facilities would be provided for decontamination of the TCs for reuse, as well as decontamination of the empty DPCs for disposal as low level radioactive waste (LLW). Conceptual layout and elevation drawings have been developed for a wet packaging facility to provide ~30,000 square feet of process area on two levels for cask and canister handling operations, 9,600 square feet for packaging operations in the fuel handling pool, and ~20,000 square feet for railcar receipt and dispatch of TCs. Capital and annual operating cost estimates have been developed and are in the range of $1.3B–$1.5B for capital costs and $190M–$256M for annual operating costs, depending on the canister chosen for repackaging.