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
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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Latest News
Norway’s Halden reactor takes first step toward decommissioning
The government of Norway has granted the transfer of the Halden research reactor from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) to the state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND). The 25-MWt Halden boiling water reactor operated from 1958 to 2018 and was used in the research of nuclear fuel, reactor internals, plant procedures and monitoring, and human factors.
Shadi Z. Ghrayeb, Kostadin N. Ivanov, Samuel H. Levine, Eric P. Loewen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 176 | Number 2 | November 2011 | Pages 188-194
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT11-A13295
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Thorium-based fuels are investigated to improve fast reactor fuel burnup. Such new sources of fuel will have to ensure that the projected expansion of nuclear power is achieved in conjunction with a reduced risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. Thorium fuel cycles have many incentives such as reduction of plutonium generation and consumption of light water reactor actinides, high-performance burnup, and conservation of 235U resources. This study provides the insight needed to judge the limitations of the thorium fuel system. This work examines burnup reactivity loss and depletion analysis of thorium- versus uranium-based metal fuels. When compared, the thorium-based metallic fuel outperformed uranium-based fuel with respect to higher actinide burnup and higher depletion rate of plutonium isotopes. The results of this paper help ascertain the limitations based on the long-term performance and behavior of the fuel under core operating conditions. Additionally, the resulting knowledge gained and techniques developed during this project support reestablishing the domestic infrastructure in the U.S. fast reactor development program. The thorium cycle offers an alternative, innovative concept for fast reactor fuels to better burn transuranics, and this study provides test cases for comparisons between options.