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
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.
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!
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Latest News
TerraPower begins U.K. regulatory approval process
Seattle-based TerraPower signaled its interest this week in building its Natrium small modular reactor in the United Kingdom, the company announced.
TerraPower sent a letter to the U.K.’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, formally establishing its intention to enter the U.K. generic design assessment (GDA) process. This is TerraPower’s first step in deployment of its Natrium technology—a 345-MW sodium fast reactor coupled with a molten salt energy storage unit—on the international stage.
John K. Wheeler, Alexander Sesonske
Nuclear Technology | Volume 75 | Number 1 | October 1986 | Pages 113-115
Technical Note | Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT86-A15982
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
ORIGEN2 was used to develop a data base of pressurized water reactor isotopic concentrations at various times after discharge with core burnup, specific power, enrichment, and neutron spectrum as variables. Results were analyzed to determine source term sensitivity to core management. Fuel rod power history was found to have an important effect on the source term. Activity and decay power are almost linear with specific power for the first month of cooling, but not sensitive to the other parameters. Longer term isotopic sensitivities are described but are not important to the source term. Long-term decay power is primarily dependent on burnup, which is also a function of exposure history.
