ANS Nuclear Cafe

The ANS Nuclear Cafe is a blog owned and edited by the American Nuclear Society. Information contained on the ANS Nuclear Cafe has been provided by numerous sources. Therefore, the American Nuclear Society assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy of information contained herein. DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in posted articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Nuclear Society. The views expressed here are those of the individual authors. ANS takes no ownership of their views. The American Nuclear Society assumes no responsibility or liability for any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained on this site.


Advanced Nuclear Advances and Retreats

September 26, 2018, 6:22PMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

This week has brought two news items - one positive and one negative - that echo a theme which runs down the history of nuclear energy like a spine.  The story goes that the original, longest-tried technology works while other, theoretically superior but technically vastly more difficult concepts continue to run into roadblocks; that story remains unchanged today, in the face of these new developments.

New Reports? No, Old Facts. Nuclear Plant Construction Delay and Cost 1.

September 7, 2018, 11:00AMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

Photo showing the TVA Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant under construction at the end of the 1960's.  This was TVA's first nuclear plant, which attained some notoriety for having been ordered in what previously had been considered "coal country."

Photo showing the TVA Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant under construction at the end of the 1960's. This was TVA's first nuclear plant, which attained some notoriety for having been ordered in what previously had been considered "coal country."

Another, modern-day report has come out which in part discusses the problems encountered in nuclear plant construction - and discusses some suggested fixes for these.  I welcome such research and reporting, but I have begun to wonder how many people realize that all of these studies have been done before and, more importantly, that the conclusions of those studies apply exactly to today's situation.

Bad Moon Rising: Korea's Antinuclear Policy Leads to Woes

August 22, 2018, 4:40PMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

A sharp increase in reporting on KEPCO (the national Korean near-monopoly electric power provider) and KHNP (Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, the nuclear wing of KEPCO) the last two weeks or so by the Korean press has revealed a drastic reversal in the fortunes of this once-shining figure of Korean progress and success, and further implies ripples that perhaps could turn back an already flagging national economy.

Pool Reactors 3: Building a Reactor Facility

August 8, 2018, 5:58PMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

In this final installment of the series on pool reactors we'll take a look at some remarkable images found in a 1956 brochure which shows some of the steps of the process in constructing the Ford Nuclear Reactor and attendant facilities at the University of Michigan.  Under the leadership of Babcock & Wilcox (today, BWXT) this 1000 KWt facility was constructed in about 19 months.  Reviewing the previous article in this series will be helpful in relating the construction photos.

Pool Reactors 2: Bigger Plans, Better Instruments

August 1, 2018, 8:35PMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

Control Room, Naval Research Reactor, circa 1958.

In the previous installment, we observed that some of the earliest pool reactors incorporated their instrumentation right on the moving bridge which supported the reactor core.  As reactors increased in size and power and as exposure was considered, control was moved off the bridge onto the floor and then often into a control room (as seen above) in later designs.  These control rooms could either be at operating floor height with direct view of the reactor, or separate in another area of the facility.

ANS Friday Nuclear Matinee: Growing Food with Nuclear, Part II

July 27, 2018, 5:14PMANS Nuclear CafeJames Jenden

Please click to watch the video. "Energy to Feed the World: Nuclear Power vs Meat"

Please click to watch the video. "Energy to Feed the World: Nuclear Power vs Meat"

From Part I, we learned that everything takes energy, and that removing steps in the energy conversion process can save energy. We even that there is potential to grow food directly with electricity. The question that arises from those suppositions is: how close are we to that reality?

Pool Reactors 1: An Introduction

July 26, 2018, 11:00AMANS Nuclear CafeWill Davis

Yesterday, I was reading an old (1970's) brochure published by ASEA-ATOM on district heating reactors.  While looking at that material I remembered that now, today, there is at least one effort afoot today to use a simple pool reactor for district heating - a pretty sharp idea, actually.  However, following that and spurred by a conversation on social media with Jessica Lovering, it occurred to me that the lowly pool type reactor, often the first kind of reactor many students have historically encountered in their trip through the nuclear universe, has not been given its due.  With that in mind, let's take a look at pool reactors through historic photos and materials.

A Strategic Approach

July 25, 2018, 4:50PMANS Nuclear CafeJohn Kelly, ANS President

Be sure to read the July Nuclear News president's profile - John Kelly: From Motor City to the Capital City

Be sure to read the July Nuclear News president's profile - John Kelly: From Motor City to the Capital City

I am honored and energized to serve as the 64th pres­ident of the American Nuclear Society. I was born in March 1954 and ANS was founded in December 1954. While I am a few months older, we are both in our 64th year, and I believe our destinies have been closely intertwined from the beginning. Even though I knew in high school that I would be an engi­neer, it was not until I entered the University of Michigan in 1972 that I learned about the tremendous promise of nuclear science and technology to improve the lives of everyone on Earth. I have never had second thoughts about my choice of nuclear engineering, even though the Three Mile Island accident occurred 18 months before I received my Ph.D. from MIT. I want to thank all my colleagues, both here in the United States and around the world, who have inspired me, supported me, and validated my decision to enter the nuclear field. I especial­ly want to thank my colleagues in the Nuclear Installations Safety Division for giving me the opportunity to serve the Society both within the division and now as president.