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
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
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.
Alexey V. Golubev, Valentina N. Golubeva
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 76 | Number 6 | August 2020 | Pages 731-738
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2020.1777671
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Fusion reactors are considered an almost unlimited source of power for the future, with tritium [deuterium-tritium (D-T) mixture] being the most convenient fuel for these facilities. Due to tritium-specific features and its self-radioactivity there are a number of issues when handling a large amount of tritium for long-term operations of fusion reactors. This paper presents research results of tritium behavior in the D-T mixture and in the environment during operations at tritium facilities. The results provide the basis for an assessment of the future environmental effects of long-term operation of a fusion reactor/tritium facility. The results of experimental and modeling studies include tritium reactions with carbon oxides under radiolysis, radiolysis of DTO, tritium dispersion in atmosphere under rough terrain, tritium oxide washout from atmosphere, tritium oxidation in soil with soil bacteria, tritium oxide migration in the unsaturated soil layer, and tritium uptake by plants, crops, and lichens. Both experimental and observational data have been used to develop models to predict tritium behavior in the environment under similar conditions. The models have been verified and validated.