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Division Spotlight
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
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2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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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New laws offer nuclear industry incentives for existing power plant uprates
This year, the U.S. nuclear industry received a much-needed economic boost that could help preserve operating nuclear power plants and incentivize upgrades that extend their lifespan and power output.
Signed into law in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act offers production tax credits (PTCs) for existing nuclear power plants and either PTCs or investment tax credits (ITCs) for new carbon-free generation. These credits could make power uprates—increasing the maximum power level at which a commercial plant may operate—a much more appealing option for utilities.
T. C. Luu, J. L. Friar, A. C. Hayes
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 152 | Number 1 | January 2006 | Pages 98-105
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE06-A2567
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In high neutron flux environments where isomers can be strongly populated by nucleonic reactions, isotope abundances from reaction network chains can be affected by the population of nuclear isomers. At high temperatures and densities, there is the additional possibility of populating these isomers electromagnetically. Here, we examine the rates for electromagnetic excitation of the isotopes of several isomers of interest both in astrophysics and applied physics (e.g., 235U, 193Ir, and 87,88Y). We consider six possible electromagnetic processes, namely, photoabsorption, inverse internal conversion, inelastic electron scattering, coulomb excitation, and (,') and (e,e') reactions. We find that for plasma temperatures kT ~ 1 to 10 keV, the electromagnetic reactions rates are negligible. Thus, we conclude that reaction network calculations do not need to include the possibility of electromagnetically exciting nuclear isomers. This is true in both stellar and terrestrial thermonuclear explosions, as well as in plasma conditions expected at the National Ignition Facility.