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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Hideaki Kuraishi, Tetsuo Sawada, Hisashi Ninokata, Hiroshi Endo
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 138 | Number 3 | July 2001 | Pages 205-232
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE01-A2210
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A self-consistent nuclear energy system (SCNES) can be a promising option as a future nuclear energy source. An SCNES should fulfill (a) efficient energy generation, (b) fuel production or breeding, (c) burning minor actinides with incinerating fission products, and (d) system safety. We focus on the system safety and present a simple evaluation model for the inherent and passive power stabilization capability of intact fast reactor cores under the conditions of an anticipated transient without scram (ATWS), i.e., self-controllability.The simple evaluation model is referred to as the "reactivity correlation model." The model assesses self-controllability of a core based on the capabilities of reactivity feedbacks to stabilize transient power and maintain temperatures within predefined safety limits. Here the safety limits are "no fuel failure" and "nonboiling of coolant."The reactivity correlation model was used to survey the self-controllability for metallic-fueled fast reactor cores. The survey was performed by selecting the core volume fractions of fuel, coolant, and structure; the arrangement of material compositions; and core configuration. A variety of reactor cores were examined, ranging from a standard 100-cm height to a flat 40-cm height. The effect of additions of sodium plena and channels, increased/decreased fuel volume fraction (Vf), loading 0 to 10 wt% minor actinides, and installing fission product-burning assemblies was also examined. The core performances were evaluated relative to tolerances against typical ATWSs, i.e., unprotected transient overpower and unprotected loss of flow. An optimum fast reactor core with the self-controllability as well as well-balanced tolerance against ATWSs resulted. The performance of this optimal core was examined for the other three prerequisites of a self-consistent nuclear energy system.