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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
Quality is key: Investing in advanced nuclear research for tomorrow’s grid
As the energy sector faces mounting pressure to grow at an unprecedented pace while maintaining reliability and affordability, nuclear technology remains an essential component of the long-term solution. Southern Company stands out among U.S. utilities for its proactive role in shaping these next-generation systems—not just as a future customer, but as a hands-on innovator.
Sanjay Gupta, Feroz Ahmed, Suresh Garg
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 125 | Number 3 | March 1997 | Pages 362-370
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE97-A24281
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Results are reported for the space-dependent neutron spectra and tritium breeding ratio (TBR) in a proposed Li + C blanket of a deuterium-tritium fusion reactor. The multigroup diffusion equation is solved as an eigenvalue problem for three concentrations of lithium in graphite. The effect on the value of TBR of increasing the fraction of low-energy neutrons in a completely thermalized source is studied. A comparison of neutron spectra as obtained in the Li + C and 3He + C systems is also made. The results show that TBR increases with the concentration of lithium in graphite as well as with the fraction of low-energy neutrons in the source. [Essentially the same value of TBR (= 0.277) is obtained for the Li + C system with a lithium to graphite concentration of 4 x 10-2 as for a 3He + C system with a natural density of 3He.] Moreover, TBR attains an almost constant value for assembly thicknesses greater than -20 cm. Also, if a source with an increased fraction of low-energy neutrons is used, the effect is more pronounced in the 3He + C system for the range of lithium concentrations considered.