Nuclear energy professionals to meet in Nice, France at ICONE-9

Engineers from all corners of the nuclear energy industry will have the opportunity to gather this year in Nice, France, in April for the Ninth International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-9).

The conference, which is sponsored by ASME International, the French Society on Nuclear Energy (SFEN) and the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME), will take place at the Nice Acropolis from April 8-12.

ICONE-9's theme, "A New Era for Nuclear Energy Development," will be addressed in dozens of technical sessions, covering topics ranging from competitiveness and market rationalization to deregulation and consolidation of suppliers.

Conference sessions will be divided into 10 technical tracks, which will examine areas including plant operations, structural materials, thermal hydraulics, plant evaluation, aging, safety, license renewal and extension, decommissioning and decontamination, nuclear codes and standards, and basic nuclear engineering.

There will be several special events during ICONE-9, including a workshop, "Computational Fluid Mechanics in Nuclear Applications," to be held on Sunday, April 8.

The conference program on April 9 will include the opening session, "A New Era for Nuclear Energy Development," from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., and a plenary session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., "The Spent Fuel Issue: How to Manage It?"

On April 10, there will be another plenary session from 8 to 10 a.m., "Regulatory Challenges in Today's Changing Economy," as well as a panel session on advanced reactors and the global marketplace from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Two additional panel sessions, "Communication Challenges for Nuclear Acceptability" and "Global Opportunities for Plant Construction," will be held that afternoon from 1:30 to 3:15 and from 3:30 to 5:15, respectively.

The program on April 11 will kick off with a plenary session from 8 to 10 a.m., "The Economics of Nuclear Energy in a Changing Environment." This presentation will be followed by three panel sessions: "Challenges in Operating Existing Reactors," from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; "Low Doses of Radiobiology and Value Limits in Radioprotection," 1:30 to 3:15 p.m.; and "What Future Reactors Are the Sustainable Options for the Long Term?" 3:30 to 5:15 p.m.

The next day will start with the plenary session, "Deregulation and Industrial Consolidation Ñ Can Nuclear Weather the Changes?", from 8 to 10 a.m. The panel session, "The Future of the Nuclear Industry from the Point of View of the Young Generation," will follow from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. A conference wrapup session will take place that afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30.

The conference will also include a tour of France's Cadarache atomic energy facility, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 13.

Registration for ICONE-9 is 980 Euros (about $925 U.S.) for members of ASME, SFEN, JSME and cooperating societies before March 1; 1,060 Euros ($1,000 U.S.) afterward.

Registration for nonmembers is 1,080 Euros ($1,020 U.S.) before March 1; 1,160 Euros ($1,100 U.S.) after that. Nonmember students can register for 100 Euros ($95 U.S.) before or after March 1. ASME student members can register free.

To find out more about ICONE-9, visit the conference's Web site, www.sfen.fr/icone9; or contact SFEN: call 011-33-(0)1-53-58-32-10, e-mail: icone9@sfen.fr.

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