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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.
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Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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A series of firsts delivers new Plant Vogtle units
Southern Nuclear was first when no one wanted to be.
The nuclear subsidiary of the century-old utility Southern Company, based in Atlanta, Ga., joined a pack of nuclear companies in the early 2000s—during what was then dubbed a “nuclear renaissance”—bullish on plans for new large nuclear facilities and adding thousands of new carbon-free megawatts to the grid.
In 2008, Southern Nuclear applied for a combined construction and operating license (COL), positioning the company to receive the first such license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2012. Also in 2008, Southern became the first U.S. company to sign an engineering, procurement, and construction contract for a Generation III+ reactor. Southern chose Westinghouse’s AP1000 pressurized water reactor, which was certified by the NRC in December 2011.
Fast forward a dozen years—which saw dozens of setbacks and hundreds of successes—and Southern Nuclear and its stakeholders celebrated the completion of Vogtle Units 3 and 4: the first new commercial nuclear power construction project completed in the U.S. in more than 30 years.
B. M. Abraham, H. E. Flotow, R. D. Carlson
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 2 | Number 4 | July 1957 | Pages 501-512
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE57-A25415
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Suspensions of UO2 in NaK alloy are being studied as possible reactor fuels. Two loops have so far been constructed of one-half inch stainless steel tubing with a test volume of approximately 150 cc. The Mark I loop was operated for 400 hours between 450 and 600°C, while circulating a slurry of 4.3 volume % UO2 (36.0 weight per cent). The radioactive monitor indicated that the slurry was uniformly suspended at a flow rate of 2 ft/sec. It was found that above 500°C the UO2 dropped out of suspension, but was immediately resuspended when the temperature dropped below the critical value of 500°C. The effect was reversible and could not be eliminated even at the fastest flows. The Mark II loop incorporated a density measuring device in order to correlate the radioactivity monitor with the density of the slurry. It was found, as previously suspected, that when the counts reached maximum value the density also was a maximum, at the calculated value. One gram of powdered uranium metal added to the loop with the UO2 completely eliminated the settling above 500°C observed in the Mark I loop. There was no evidence for corrosion or erosion of the loop, and the particle size of UO2 was practically unchanged after operation at the high temperature. The UO2 could be resuspended immediately after prolonged settling.