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
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
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April 2025
Latest News
Penn State and Westinghouse make eVinci microreactor plan official
Penn State and Westinghouse Electric Company are working together to site a new research reactor on Penn State’s University Park, Pa., campus: Westinghouse’s eVinci, a HALEU TRISO-fueled sodium heat-pipe reactor. Penn State has announced that it submitted a letter of intent to host and operate an eVinci reactor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on February 28 and plans to engage with the NRC on specific siting decisions. Penn State already boasts the Breazeale reactor, which began operating in 1955 as the first licensed research reactor at a university in the United States. At 70, the Breazeale reactor is still in operation.
Bernhard Blumenthal
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 2 | Number 4 | July 1957 | Pages 407-426
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE57-A25406
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Several of the contaminants of uranium can be removed or controlled by vacuum melting and liquation. The lower limits of carbon content which can be attained by liquation in urania crucibles are 225 to 250 ppm at 1195°C, 190 to 225 ppm at 1150°C, and 170 ppm at 1138°C. In magnesia crucibles the reaction 3 MgO + UC → UO2 + CO + 3 Mg proceeds to the right in a high vacuum resulting in incomplete carbon removal. Oxygen and nitrogen are rapidly removed by liquation and contents of less than 10 ppm are readily obtained. Iron and silicon are not removed by a simple melting and liquation process. Various crucible materials were investigated and the effect of addition agents such as nitrogen, tantalum, titanium, and zirconium was studied. Under optimum vacuum melting conditions a metal is produced that will contain no more than 130 to 200 ppm total impurities.
