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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
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!
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Latest News
Westinghouse’s lunar microreactor concept gets a contract for continued R&D
Westinghouse Electric Company announced last week that NASA and the Department of Energy have awarded the company a contract to continue developing a lunar microreactor concept for the Fission Surface Power (FSP) project.
M. Brovchenko, D. Heuer, E. Merle-Lucotte, M. Allibert, V. Ghetta, A. Laureau, P. Rubiolo
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 175 | Number 3 | November 2013 | Pages 329-339
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE12-70
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Molten salt reactors are liquid fuel reactors so that they are flexible in operation, but they are very different from solid fuel reactors in the approach to safety. This study concentrates on the specific concept named Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR). Since this new nuclear technology is in development, safety is an essential point to be considered all along the research and development studies. After a short description of the MSFR systems, necessary to device accidental scenarios, this paper will focus on the decay heat evaluation of such a reactor. Among different contributions, the decay heat of fission products in the MSFR is evaluated to be low (3% of nominal power), mainly due to the reprocessing during the reactor operation. As a result, the contribution of the actinides is significant (0.5% of nominal power). However, the decay heat of the fission products is important, and among the different uncertainty sources, the fission yield uncertainties are pointed out. The unprotected loss of heat sink transients are studied in this paper. It appears that slow transients are favorable (>1 min) to minimize the temperature increase of the fuel salt. This work will be the basis of further safety studies as well as an essential parameter for the design of the draining system.