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 Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2025
Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Gokul Vasudevamurthy, Travis W. Knight, Thad M. Adams, Elwyn Roberts
Nuclear Technology | Volume 173 | Number 2 | February 2011 | Pages 200-209
Technical Paper | Materials for Nuclear Fuels | doi.org/10.13182/NT11-A11549
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Dispersed fuel composites consisting of uranium carbide particles (microspheres) in a zirconium carbide (inert) matrix were fabricated and characterized. Advanced fuels including refractory inert matrix fuels are being considered for gas fast reactors, which can accommodate a variety of feed materials including recycled transuranics that include minor actinides for incineration and high-level waste reduction. The particles for this effort were fabricated by employing a custom built rotating electrode machine. This process employed a uranium carbide electrode manufactured by combustion synthesis of uranium hydride and graphite powders. Two process parameters, namely, arc intensity and rotational speed, were varied to assess their effects on the size of the particles produced. The particles were characterized for microstructure, density, and composition (homogeneity). These particles were mixed with pure zirconium and graphite powders in different matrix to particle volumetric ratios of 90/10, 80/20, and 70/30 and inductively heated to 1850°C to initiate combustion synthesis to produce composites of zirconium carbide with the embedded uranium carbide particles. The aim was to limit process temperature and in particular process time, bearing in mind the possible future extensions of these processes to minor actinide-bearing fuels and also to avoid any changes in the structural integrity of the particles and large-scale diffusion of uranium into the matrix. The composites were characterized for microstructure, phase composition, density, and porosity distribution. The results are presented.