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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
February 2025
Latest News
Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Technical Session|Panel
Saturday, April 10, 2021|1:00–2:00PM EDT
Session Chair:
Harsh S. Desai
Alternate Chair:
Ishita Trivedi
Session Organizer:
Edward Chen (NC State Univ.)
Track Organizer:
Session Producers:
Vincent Dallura (NC State Univ.)
Avoiding catastrophic impacts of climate change will require near-zero electricity sector CO2 emissions by mid-century, if not sooner. Achieving the "decarbonization" of even the electric power sector will require preserving our current fleet of nuclear plants and investing in innovative next-generation nuclear technologies. Panelists will provide an update on the political landscape of nuclear energy looking forward past the 2020 election. There will be a discussion on hot topics such as opportunities for nuclear and renewables to complement the electricity grid, accelerating the deployment of advanced reactors, and non-electricity applications of nuclear power plants. Panelists will also highlight the opportunities for ANS members, particularly students and young professionals, to engage and learn more about the policy world.
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