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
Thermal Hydraulics
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
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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Jul 2024
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ARPA-E announces $40 million to develop transmutation technologies for UNF
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel into less-radioactive substances. According to ARPA-E, the new initiative addresses one of the agency’s core goals as outlined by Congress: to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
Emily M. Flora, Michael L. Zerkle
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 178 | Number 4 | December 2014 | Pages 539-549
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE14-31
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Epithermal Test Assembly (ETA) experiments were performed to test the adequacy of 233U, 235U, and 232Th cross sections in epithermal spectra in support of the Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) Program. The ETA design contained a central heavy water–moderated test region surrounded by a light water–moderated annular driver region. Two series of experiments were performed: ETA-I with 235UO2-ThO2 fuel rods in the test region and ETA-II with 233UO2-ThO2 fuel rods in the test region. The dominant uncertainties in the critical configurations include the test-rod pitch pitch for ETA-I; the test-region fuel-rod fuel density and 233U to (233U + Th) weight ratio for ETA-II; and the driver-region fuel-rod outer diameter, uranium enrichment, and pitch for both ETA experiments. Benchmark model results using MCNP5 are provided for ENDF/B-V, ENDF/B-VI, ENDF/B-VII.0, and ENDF/B-VII.1 cross sections with only the ENDF/B-VII.0 results falling within three standard deviations of the benchmark model keff. The ETA-I and ETA-II benchmark evaluations have been included in the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments and are replicated in the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments.