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
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
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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August 2024
Latest News
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.
W. Seifritz, J. Ligou
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 56 | Number 3 | March 1975 | Pages 301-303
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE75-A26742
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Energy may possibly be released in purely fissionable materials or in mixtures of fission/fusion materials following irradiation to produce compression and heating leading to micro-explosions. This is a variation of the “laser-fusion” concept A design of a pellet is presented that consists of a fissionable trigger and a mantle of fusionable material. Sophisticated neutronics and burnup calculations for the fission trigger show that such a device possesses a substantially higher “gain” than a purely fusionable pellet. This may open a new outlook for the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy through a breeder reactor system with an extremely short fuel doubling time and with the possibility of directly converting the released energy into electricity. Furthermore, the fission trigger may be used to kindle not only DT and LiD mantles but also DD and probably p-11B mantles to full thermonuclear ignition.