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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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Hash Hashemian: Visionary leadership
As Dr. Hashem M. “Hash” Hashemian prepares to step into his term as President of the American Nuclear Society, he is clear that he wants to make the most of this unique moment.
A groundswell in public approval of nuclear is finding a home in growing governmental support that is backed by a tailwind of technological innovation. “Now is a good time to be in nuclear,” Hashemian said, as he explained the criticality of this moment and what he hoped to accomplish as president.
A. J. Palmer, R. S. Skifton, D. C. Haggard, W. D. Swank (INL), M. Scervini (Univ of Cambridge)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 1013-1027
High-temperature gas reactor experiments create unique challenges for thermocouple-based temperature measurements. High-temperature industrial thermocouples suffer rapid decalibration due to transmutation of the thermoelements from neutron absorption. For lower temperature applications, Type K and Type N thermocouples are affected by neutron irradiation only to a limited extent. But until recently, the use of these nickel-based thermocouples was limited when the temperature exceeds 1050°C due to drift related to phenomena other than nuclear irradiation. Certain portions of the final Advanced Gas Reactor test (AGR-5/6/7) will experience temperatures higher than any of the previous AGR tests, up to 1450°C. Recognizing the limitations of existing thermometry to measure such high temperatures, the sponsor of the AGR-5/6/7 test supported a development and testing program for thermocouples capable of low-drift operation at temperatures above 1100°C. This program included additional development of high-temperature irradiation-resistant thermocouples (HTIR-TCs) based on molybdenum/niobium thermoelements, which have been studied at INL since circa 2004. A step change in accuracy and long-term stability of this thermocouple type has been achieved as part of the AGR-5/6/7 thermometry development program. Additionally, long term testing (7000+ hrs) at 1250°C of Type N thermocouples utilizing a customized sheath developed at the University of Cambridge has been completed with excellent low-drift results. The results of this testing as well as testing of the improved HTIR design are reported herein. Both the improved HTIR and the Cambridge Type N thermocouple types have been incorporated into the AGR-5/6/7 test, which began irradiation February 2018.