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
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
Meeting Spotlight
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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
Dec 2024
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
January 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Christmas Night
Twas the night before Christmas when all through the houseNo electrons were flowing through even my mouse.
All devices were plugged in by the chimney with careWith the hope that St. Nikola Tesla would share.
Jacob A. Farber, Daniel G. Cole (Univ of Pittsburgh)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 868-878
In the nuclear power industry, one important class of accidents is the loss of coolant accident (LOCA). This paper presents methods to detect a LOCA that is initiated: (i) while the plant is going through a small transient, and (ii) with a time-varying leak magnitude. The accident is simulated using a generic pressurized water reactor (GPWR) simulator. The fault is detected using a model-based approach with models identi ed using GPWR data. The model-based approach is multiple-model adaptive estimation (MMAE), which uses multiple system models representing both normal and faulted operating conditions. During operation, these models simulate the potential operating conditions, incorporating measurement feedback in a Kalman lter state-estimation structure. Faults are detected by selecting the model that most closely matches the system according to statistical characteristics. For a LOCA, data-driven models of the pressurizer liquid level are derived using rst-principles and system identi cation. In system identi cation, a physics-based model form is derived that contains unknown parameters. System identi cation is then used to estimate the parameter values based on measurement data, providing plant-speci c pressurizer models. For the accident scenario described above, the proposed methods di erentiate between the transient and the accident, and provide real-time estimates of the leak magnitude after it has been initiated.