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
Thermal Hydraulics
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
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
How to talk about nuclear
In your career as a professional in the nuclear community, chances are you will, at some point, be asked (or volunteer) to talk to at least one layperson about the technology you know and love. You might even be asked to present to a whole group of nonnuclear folks, perhaps as a pitch to some company tangential to your company’s business. So, without further ado, let me give you some pointers on the best way to approach this important and surprisingly complicated task.
C. M. Kang, K. F. Hansen
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 51 | Number 4 | August 1973 | Pages 456-495
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE73-A23278
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The application of the finite element method to problems in neutron diffusion in space, energy, and time is studied. The use of piecewise polynomials with a variational form of the diffusion equation leads to algebraic systems of equations with characteristics similar to the usual finite difference equations. In Part I, a theoretical analysis of the finite element method, with Hermite polynomials, is presented and rigorous error bounds for the approximate solution are developed. In Part II, numerical studies are presented for problems in space and time. The results confirm the theoretical analysis and indicate the power of the method for diffusion problems.
