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
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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
El Salvador: Looking to nuclear
In 2022, El Salvador’s leadership decided to expand its modest, mostly hydro- and geothermal-based electricity system, which is supported by expensive imported natural gas and diesel generation. They chose to use advanced nuclear reactors, preferably fueled by thorium-based fuels, to power their civilian efforts. The choice of thorium was made to inform the world that the reactor program was for civilian purposes only, and so they chose a fuel that was plentiful, easy to source and work with, and not a proliferation risk.
M. J. Driscoll, R. K. Lester, K. G. Jensen, B. W. Arnold, P. N. Swift, P. V. Brady
Nuclear Technology | Volume 180 | Number 1 | October 2012 | Pages 111-121
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-A14523
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The use of deep boreholes for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste is reassessed, emphasizing key enabling technical features and their strong linkage to national and international fuel cycle policy. Emplacement 2 to 4 km deep in widely available granitic continental bedrock, under a 1-km caprock layer of high-integrity bedrock, is shown in this analysis to have the potential to provide sufficiently low host rock permeability to prevent radionuclide escape by transport in water - the only plausible release mechanism. The modular nature of the concept enables multiregion siting in large user countries and is especially well-suited for small-user nations. Irretrievability can be built-in to better meet safeguards objectives, and the exceptionally high assurance of confinement makes the disposal of minor actinides (and troublesome fission products) an attractive alternative to their destruction by transmutation.
