ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Oklo to collaborate with Atomic Alchemy on isotope production
Fast reactor developer Oklo, which recently went public on the New York Stock Exchange, announced on May 13 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Atomic Alchemy to cooperate on the production of radioisotopes for medical, energy, industry, and science applications.
Francisco I. Valentín, Gregory Daines
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 6 | June 2021 | Pages 801-814
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1826271
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Creare is developing a miniature, low-power, free-piston energy conversion system. Our converter is designed to transform thermal energy from radioisotope heater units into on-demand electricity essential to space exploration probes, unmanned surface rovers, small landers, small satellites, and similar small-scale systems operating in darkness. We have achieved a simple system design with a single moving part that requires no recuperator and no regenerators or valves. Our converter technology promises a high-efficiency system in an extremely compact enclosure. This work describes preliminary design, analysis, and testing efforts for our miniaturized converter. We fabricated a laboratory-scale prototype and acquired experimental data at prototypical temperatures to validate our performance models. Our numerical model was able to accurately predict converter losses. In doing so, we also demonstrated the feasibility of our novel thermodynamic cycle through the generation of net positive pressure-volume work of the system at its design temperature (~873 K). These results have been used to guide subsequent converter design modifications. Future work includes the fabrication, testing, and detailed performance assessment of a complete prototype converter.