American Nuclear Society announces two Westinghouse engineers as fellows

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) has named Martin Plys and Fausto Franceschini as fellows, Westinghouse Electric Company announced on Tuesday.

Plys serves as the vice president of Waste Technology and Post-Fukushima Services for Westinghouse Fauske & Associates LLC. His recognition by the ANS comes as a result of his work with creating computer codes under the Modular Accident Analysis Program (MAAP) suite that activate during severe accidents at a nuclear reactor. Plys oversees new initiatives and their technical aspects for waste storage and management in the U.K. and in efforts to remove fuel from Fukushima’s damaged reactors.

He also created the MAAP4, which has capabilities that allow individual plants to be evaluated.

Franceschini serves as a Westinghouse Global Technology Development fellow engineer. He has worked in developing nuclear methodologies for the analysis of reactors and simulation technology that has supported the AP1000 reactor program from the company.

Some of Franceschini’s accomplishments include the development of fuel cycle advancements, modeling techniques for radiation detection and the development of reactor core and fuel designs. He also has served as an expert source for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and has served in leading roles with the ANS Reactor Physics Division.

Franceschini is being recognized for his contributions to the nuclear industry and for the technical leadership that he has offered.