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Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
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2027 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
October 31–November 4, 2027
Washington, DC|The Westin Washington, DC Downtown
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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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Disney World should have gone nuclear
There is extra significance to the American Nuclear Society holding its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, this past week. That’s because in 1967, the state of Florida passed a law allowing Disney World to build a nuclear power plant.
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.