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
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
Meeting Spotlight
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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
Jan 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Ontario eyes new nuclear development
A 1,300-acre site left undeveloped on the shores of Lake Ontario four decades ago could see new life as the home to a large nuclear facility.
Lucas M. Rolison, Michael L. Fensin, Y. C. Francis Thio, Scott C. Hsu, Edward J. Cruz
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 75 | Number 6 | August 2019 | Pages 438-451
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2019.1613140
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We present neutronics calculations for a hypothetical fusion reactor based on the repetitively pulsed concept of plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion (PJMIF). A PJMIF reactor is envisioned to have a replaceable, 3-m-radius spherical metal first wall exposed to 14.1-MeV neutrons; a fast-flowing FLiBe liquid blanket (with thickness 0.75 m) behind the first wall serving as the primary coolant and tritium-breeding medium; and finally an outer structural spherical wall shielded by the blanket. Cylindrical penetrations through both walls and the flowing blanket allow for hundreds of plasma gun drivers to inject hypersonic plasma jets that form both the deuterium-tritium plasma target and high-Z spherically imploding plasma liner to compress the target. This research is the first to conduct Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP6.2) and CINDER2008 neutronics calculations relevant to the PJMIF reactor configuration, with the primary objectives of determining (1) the neutron flux as a function of blanket thickness in the blanket and key reactor components and (2) the tritium production rate in the liquid blanket. These results will be used to estimate other quantities of interest, such as first-wall and gun-electrode lifetimes based on displacements per atom (dpa) accumulation, optimum blanket thickness, activation level of the outer wall and xenon liner, and achievable tritium-breeding ratios. Energy-dependent flux tallies were used to calculate neutron flux inside the FLiBe blanket and outer wall, as well as the cylindrical ports where plasma guns are located. Tally multipliers of the flux in MCNP6.2 estimated tritium breeding ratio, dpa, and nuclear heating, while the depletion code CINDER2008 was used to compare tritium breeding ratios with MCNP6.2 and calculate activation of the outer wall and xenon liner. These calculations provide a baseline for blanket requirements necessary for power production in a PJMIF reactor.