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
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2024
Jan 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.”
Chad J. Kiger (AMS)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 1294-1303
Traditional wireless technologies are typically difficult and costly to implement in industrial environments such as nuclear power plants. Because the current implementation methodology is specific to individual wireless protocols such as LTE, Wi-Fi, WirelessHART, and ISA100, each family of wireless devices requires its own antennas, data collection nodes, and supporting infrastructure to move data from the field to a centralized monitoring point in the plant. Furthermore, keeping the system up-to-date often requires expensive overhauls to the electronics to keep up with rapidly changing wireless technologies. Due to increased plant demand for data intensive applications such as equipment condition monitoring, voice and video communication, and access to electronic work packages, nuclear power plants need the ability to upgrade their wireless backbone to handle increased data throughput while protecting against evolving cyber security threats. Distributed Antenna System (DAS) technology has the potential to address the obsolescence and infrastructure issues associated with traditional wireless implementations. A DAS uses a radiating cable and/or collection of antennas to provide wireless coverage to a large area including within and through metallic, concreate, and other objects. A research and development (R&D) project is being conducted to identify and resolve the challenges associated with the use of DAS technology in a nuclear power plant. These challenges include identifying the optimal system components and installation practices that should be used when implementing a DAS in a nuclear power plant to maximize performance, minimize EMI/RFI concerns, and address cyber security and other installation considerations. Furthermore, the R&D project is addressing the lack of wireless condition monitoring sensors capable of communicating over a DAS that meet the needs of the nuclear industry.