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
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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
Oct 2024
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
November 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
A proactive approach to reactor vessel aging management
Unit 2 at the Prairie Island nuclear power plant near Red Wing, Minn., underwent an outage in fall 2023, which included extensive work on the reactor vessel using a novel approach to replace baffle-former bolts and lower radial clevis insert bolts. The work relied on extensive analysis beforehand to determine which bolts to replace such that only the new bolts were structurally credited for performance of their safety function. This proactive approach eliminated the need for costly contingencies associated with inspections.
P. N. Maya, S. P. Deshpande
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 6 | August 2024 | Pages 741-765
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2247854
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Parameter space for spherical tokamak reactors is explored quantitatively to elucidate the main constraints for spherical tokamak design choices. Using a constant plasma current Ip search constraint, a set of four Ip scenarios (5, 10, 15, and 20 MA) is first explored in a wide parameter space. Considering modest but gradually increasing auxiliary power, a set of four machine configurations (major radius = 1.25, 1.75, 2.25, and 3.5 m) is explored next, optimizing the Ip and the bootstrap fraction. Constraints that narrow down the vast parameter space are elaborated along with critical assumptions, such as current drive efficiency, H-mode enhancement factor, nuclear shielding efficiency, and confinement scaling. Limits on the current density of the center post and how it affects the shielding are quantitatively indicated, thereby setting a lower limit on the aspect ratio.