ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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Division Spotlight
Fuel Cycle & Waste Management
Devoted to all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle including waste management, worldwide. Division specific areas of interest and involvement include uranium conversion and enrichment; fuel fabrication, management (in-core and ex-core) and recycle; transportation; safeguards; high-level, low-level and mixed waste management and disposal; public policy and program management; decontamination and decommissioning environmental restoration; and excess weapons materials disposition.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
Mikio Sakai, Kazuya Shibata, Seiichi Koshizuka
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 154 | Number 1 | September 2006 | Pages 63-73
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE06-A2618
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Particle dynamics of nuclear fuel material has not been considered in conventional nuclear criticality evaluations. However, the particle motion influences nuclear criticality significantly. In the present study, the criticality calculation is combined with the discrete element method (DEM) to investigate the effects of the particle macroscopic behavior on nuclear criticality. Particle motion is analyzed in a rotating drum by the DEM, and then, the nuclear calculation is carried out. This paper focuses on particle size distribution, size segregation, and change of surface area of the particle bed. The particle size distribution has an important influence on the nuclear criticality evaluation because it affects not only the particle movement but also the atomic number densities in the bed. The surface area of the particle bed shows a close correlation with the multiplication factor. On the other hand, the size segregation does not have a significant effect on nuclear criticality.