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Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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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Latest News
ARG-US Remote Monitoring Systems: Use Cases and Applications in Nuclear Facilities and During Transportation
As highlighted in the Spring 2024 issue of Radwaste Solutions, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory are developing and deploying ARG-US—meaning “Watchful Guardian”—remote monitoring systems technologies to enhance the safety, security, and safeguards (3S) of packages of nuclear and other radioactive material during storage, transportation, and disposal.
Y. Danon, D. Williams, R. Bahran, E. Blain, B. McDermott, D. Barry, G. Leinweber, R. Block, M. Rapp
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 187 | Number 3 | September 2017 | Pages 291-301
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2017.1312937
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The neutron microscopic capture cross section for 235U is a critical parameter for the design and operation of nuclear reactors. The evaluated nuclear data libraries of ENDF/B-VII.1 and JENDL-4.0 have nearly identical values for the neutron capture cross section for neutron energies below 0.5 keV. In the most recent release of the JENDL library the onset of the unresolved resonance region was changed from 2.25 keV to 0.5 keV. In the energy region from 1.5 keV to 2.25 keV the average neutron capture cross section from ENDF/B-VII.1 is about 10% higher than that from JENDL-4.0. In an attempt to address the discrepancies between the libraries, a measurement of the neutron capture cross section of 235U was conducted at the Gaerttner LINAC Center located at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This measurement used a 16-segment -multiplicity NaI(Tl) detector to detect the prompt gammas emitted from neutron interactions with a highly enriched 235U sample. Using the time-of-flight method, detected events were recorded and grouped based on the total gamma energy per interaction and observed multiplicity. A method was developed to separate fission from capture based on total energy deposition and gamma multiplicity. Application of this method in the thermal and resonance region below 0.5 keV for both the fission and capture produced cross sections that are in good agreement with both ENDF/B-VII.1 and JENDL-4.0 evaluations. The measurements support a lower 235U neutron capture cross section in the energy range 0.5 to 2.25 keV, which is closer to JENDL 4.0.
