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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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
UK awards £30 million to advance decommissioning R&D
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the government agency charged with cleaning up the United Kingdom’s nuclear sites, has awarded three contracts totaling £30 million (about $39 million) for research into new decommissioning techniques.
Toru Hiraoka, Kiyoshi Sako, Hideki Takano, Takeshi Ishii, Mitsuru Sato
Nuclear Technology | Volume 93 | Number 3 | March 1991 | Pages 305-329
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34526
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A high-breeding fast reactor with fission product gas purge/tube-in-shell metallic fuel assemblies is proposed. Its reactor doubling time is <10 yr because fast reactors must have economical fuel breeding as well as economical electricity generation. The core has a high volume fraction of fuel (>50%) and realizes a very hard neutron spectrum. Thus, a fast-breeding 670-MW(electric) reactor with a high breeding ratio (1.84) and a short reactor doubling time (6.7 yr) is proposed. The structure of the fuel assembly, its fabrication, and the fission product gas purging mechanism are assessed and the new fuel assembly concept is determined to be feasible. Purging of the fission product gas does not affect the shielding requirement and can be managed by a small-scale cover gas treatment system because of the good fission product retention characteristics of the sodium in the fuel assemblies. The entire reactor configuration, including the intermediate heat exchangers, was assessed utilizing conventional reactor components.