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2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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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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Seconds Matter: Rethinking Nuclear Facility Security for the Modern Threat Landscape
In today’s rapidly evolving threat environment, nuclear facilities must prioritize speed and precision in their security responses—because in critical moments, every second counts. An early warning system serves as a vital layer of defense, enabling real-time detection of potential intrusions or anomalies before they escalate into full-blown incidents. By providing immediate alerts and actionable intelligence, these systems empower security personnel to respond decisively, minimizing risk to infrastructure, personnel, and the public. The ability to anticipate and intercept threats at the earliest possible stage not only enhances operational resilience but also reinforces public trust in the safety of nuclear operations. Investing in such proactive technologies is no longer optional—it’s essential for modern nuclear security.
Zhiyao Xing, Eugene Shwageraus (Univ of Cambridge)
Proceedings | 2018 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2018) | Charlotte, NC, April 8-11, 2018 | Pages 777-786
Prismatic block type Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactors (FHRs) can benefit from Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) technologies. To provide guidance for future AGR-like FHR design, this paper, based on systematic searches across a wide range of AGR-like assembly models and simplified single pin models, studies the beginning of cycle excess reactivity and coolant temperature coefficients of FHRs with different design parameters and alternative salt coolants. LiF-NaF-KF (FLiNaK) and non-Tritium-producing salt NaF-ZrF4 are studied as coolant options alternative to 2LiF-BeF2 (FLiBe) using unit cell models. The results suggest that the NaF-ZrF4 cooled, UC fuelled single pin models with 40% to 100% salt to graphite mass ratios and pitch to diameter ratios of 4.0 to 4.8 can achieve the best beginning of cycle neutronics performances among all designs options surveyed. While the assembly models and pin cell models capture the same reactor physics phenomena, designing FHR strictly within the physical constraint of AGR configuration limits the designs space and results in poorer neutronics performance comparing with the best performing unit cell models. Greater degrees of freedom could be considered in the future assembly level design process to best capture the desirable neutronics benefits of the recommended single pin designs.