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Division Spotlight
Education, Training & Workforce Development
The Education, Training & Workforce Development Division provides communication among the academic, industrial, and governmental communities through the exchange of views and information on matters related to education, training and workforce development in nuclear and radiological science, engineering, and technology. Industry leaders, education and training professionals, and interested students work together through Society-sponsored meetings and publications, to enrich their professional development, to educate the general public, and to advance nuclear and radiological science and engineering.
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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Argonne research aims to improve nuclear fuel recycling and metal recovery
Servis
Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are investigating a used nuclear fuel recycling technology that could lead to a scaled-down and more efficient approach to metal recovery, according to a recent news article from the lab. The research, led by Argonne radiochemist Anna Servis with funding from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), could have an impact beyond the nuclear fuel cycle and improve other high-value metal processing, such as rare earth recovery, according to Argonne.
The research: Servis’s work is being carried out under ARPA-E’s CURIE (Converting UNF Radioisotopes Into Energy) program. The specific project—Radioisotope Capture Intensification Using Rotating Packed Bed Contactors—started in 2023 and is scheduled to end in January 2026.
S. Sandri, G. M. Contessa, M. Guardati, M. Guarracino, R. Villari
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 75 | Number 5 | July 2019 | Pages 345-351
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2019.1608097
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An experimental nuclear fusion device could be seen as a step toward the development of the future nuclear fusion power plant. If compared with other possible solutions to the energy problem, nuclear fusion has advantages that ensure sustainability and security. In particular, considering the radioactivity and the radioactive waste produced in a nuclear fusion plant, the component materials for the plant could be selected in order to limit the decay period, making recycling possible in a new reactor after about 100 yr from the beginning of decommissioning. To achieve this and other pertinent goals, many experimental machines have been developed and operated worldwide in the last decades, underlining that radiation protection and worker exposure are critical aspects of these facilities due to the high-flux, high-energy neutrons produced in the fusion reactions. Direct radiation, material activation, tritium diffusion, and other related issues pose a real challenge to demonstrating that these devices are safer than nuclear fission facilities. In Italy, for the past 30 yr, a limited number of fusion facilities have been constructed and operated, mainly at the ENEA Frascati Center, where a new one, the Italian Divertor Tokamak Test Facility (DTT), is now under development. The radiation protection approach, addressed by national licensing requirements, shows that respecting the constraints for worker exposure to ionizing radiation is not always straightforward. In the current analysis the main radiation protection issues encountered in the Italian fusion facilities are considered and discussed, and the technical and legal requirements are described. The licensing process for this kind of device is outlined and compared with that of other European countries.
The following aspects are considered throughout the current study: description of the installation, plant, and systems; suitability of the area; buildings and structures; radioprotection structures and organization; exposure of personnel; accident analysis and relevant radiological consequences; and radioactive waste assessment and management.
In conclusion, the analysis points out the need for special attention to the radiological exposure of workers in order to demonstrate at least the same level of safety as that reached at nuclear fission facilities.