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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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!
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Latest News
First astatine-labeled compound shipped in the U.S.
The Department of Energy’s National Isotope Development Center (NIDC) on March 31 announced the successful long-distance shipment in the United States of a biologically active compound labeled with the medical radioisotope astatine-211 (At-211). Because previous shipments have included only the “bare” isotope, the NIDC has described the development as “unleashing medical innovation.”
Vivek Agarwal, John W. Buttles, Ahmad Al-Rashdan (INL), Ryan Pitcher (Idaho State Univ), Chad J. Kiger (AMS)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 1504-1513
Most operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the United States have received approval to extend their operating licenses to 60 years. Now the nuclear industry is preparing to extend operating licenses to 80 years. While NPPs are preparing for extensions (60 years and beyond), the nuclear industry is facing a unique economic sustainability challenge in the current energy market. This is partly because the domestic nuclear industry is dependent on a high number of skilled workers to perform operation and maintenance activities. This labor-centric business model is cost prohibitive and results in high operations and maintenance costs. One of the activities performed by skilled workers in a NPP on a regular basis is manual concurrent or independent verification of manual valve position. This activity presents human error opportunities, operational and safety challenges, and regulatory compliance impacts, in addition to high labor costs. To address these concerns, a wireless valve position indication sensor technology is developed and matured by Idaho National Laboratory. In this paper, advancements achieved in the design, development, testing, and demonstration of a prototype wireless valve position indication sensor system are presented. The paper presents the electromagnetic interference evaluation of the prototype; design and development of three-dimensional (3-D) adjustable and reconfigurable universal sensor mounting units; improved quality-of-service and reliability of wireless communication; and demonstration of the technology on an experimental flow-loop fitted with nine manual valves for different valve configurations.