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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ARPA-E announces $40 million to develop transmutation technologies for UNF
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel into less-radioactive substances. According to ARPA-E, the new initiative addresses one of the agency’s core goals as outlined by Congress: to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
L. Stefan, N. Trantea, A. Roberts, S. Strikwerda, A. Antoniazzi, D. Zaharia
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 71 | Number 3 | April 2017 | Pages 236-240
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1288413
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
ICSI has recently completed the conceptual design of the Cernavoda Tritium Removal Facility (CTRF). CTRF is sized to process heavy water from 2 CANDU reactors, treating 40 kg/h of 10–54 Ci/kg heavy water over 40 years. CTRF removes tritium using Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange (LPCE) paired with Cryogenic Distillation (CD).
The CTRF design has implemented improvements based on design and operational knowledge from DTRF, WTRF, ICSI pilot plant, other tritium laboratories, and industry. Additionally, there are site, client, and regulatory requirements that have imposed differences from other TRF designs. This paper identifies the key improvements and requirements, explains the rationale for the design choice and highlights drawbacks. The key improvements and requirements, grouped under four categories, include:
Safety – a Safe Shutdown State, higher seismic qualifications, restrictions on D2O transfers, extensive use of double containment;
Core Systems – use of a mixed catalyst bed for the LPCE, no catalytic oxidation skid, helium refrigeration system cooling of the cryoadsorbers, better control of the CD cascade by using pumps on reverse flows, and the use of a CuO reactor with molecular sieves dryers for cleanup of tritium in glovebox atmospheres;
Site, client and regulatory requirements – lower worker dose limits, independent utilities from nuclear Units 1 and 2, different targets for environmental releases and management of external hazards, and the application of the latest reactor grade Regulatory Standards in force in Romania;
Auxiliary systems, utilities, and the building – removal of H2-O2 recombiner catalyst from the Air Detritiation System, use of a PEM electrolytic cell for D2 makeup, and no need for steam in the CTRF facility.