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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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
First astatine-labeled compound shipped in the U.S.
The Department of Energy’s National Isotope Development Center (NIDC) on March 31 announced the successful long-distance shipment in the United States of a biologically active compound labeled with the medical radioisotope astatine-211 (At-211). Because previous shipments have included only the “bare” isotope, the NIDC has described the development as “unleashing medical innovation.”
Tim D. Bohm, Mohamed E. Sawan
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 77 | Number 7 | November 2021 | Pages 813-828
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2021.1908783
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the design of fusion reactors, determining radiation levels due to neutrons and photons (gammas) throughout the reactor and its surroundings is important. Radiation transport codes need to have accurate cross-section libraries in order to produce accurate results. The Fusion Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (FENDL) is an international effort coordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Data Section, that assembles a collection of the best nuclear data for fusion applications. In the current FENDL-3.1d data library, neutron cross sections for 65 of the 180 isotopes present in the library come from ENDF/B-VII.1.
Monte Carlo–based neutronics calculations using cross-section libraries from FENDL (versions 2.1 and 3.1d), ENDF/B (versions VII.1 and VIII.0), and candidate new evaluations for key structural elements/isotopes such as iron and chromium were performed. The calculations were performed in reactor-relevant models including a one-dimensional (1-D) cylindrical model of ITER, a three-dimensional (3-D) computer-aided design (CAD)–based model of ITER, and a 3-D CAD-based model of the U.S. Fusion Energy System Studies Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF).
The results show that neutron fluxes calculated with different cross-section libraries can be as much as 12% higher and as much as 8% lower than those calculated with the reference cross-section library (FENDL-2.1). Nuclear heating calculated with different cross-section libraries can be as much as 14% higher and as much as 8% lower than those calculated with the reference cross-section library. Iron displacements per atom calculated with different cross-section libraries can be as much as 9% higher and as much as 9% lower than those calculated with the reference cross-section library. Helium production calculated with different cross-section libraries can be as much as 19% higher and as much as 2% lower than those calculated with the reference cross-section library. Tritium production in the ITER 1-D model’s nonbreeding regions calculated with different cross-section libraries can be as much as 246% higher and as much as 5% lower than those calculated with the reference cross-section library. The tritium breeding ratio in the FNSF 3-D model calculated with different cross-section libraries averaged 1% higher at the inboard and 1.4% higher at the outboard than those calculated with the reference cross-section library.