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
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
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|Sponsored by THD
Tuesday, November 15, 2022|10:00–11:45AM MST|Sonoran 3
Session Chair:
Donna P. Guillen (INL)
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chairs:
Piyush Sabharwall (INL)
Brian G. Woods (Oregon State)
Panelists will present the experimental capabilities of test facilities that can be used to support the development of new reactor concepts and designs. These facilities will have the ability to generate high-quality data that can be used for system and computational fluid dynamic code validation. Such data can support safety analyses and reduce uncertainty, especially for thermal hydraulic phenomena of interest, enhance our technical understanding, and fill in technical gaps. The panelists will also provide information on the current status and on future testing that is being planned. The presentations include: Thermal Hydraulic Testing Facilities for Lead Fast Reactor Development; Developing Nuclear Technology through Design-Build-Test; High Pressure/High Temperature Helium Flow Test Facility at City College of New York; and Combined Positron Emission Particle Tracking/CT Experimental Capabilities for Nuclear Engineering Applications.
To join the conversation, you must be logged in and registered for the meeting.
Register NowLog In
