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
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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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February 2025
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Reboot: Nuclear needs a success . . . anywhere
The media have gleefully resurrected the language of a past nuclear renaissance. Beyond the hype and PR, many people in the nuclear community are taking a more measured view of conditions that could lead to new construction: data center demand, the proliferation of new reactor designs and start-ups, and the sudden ascendance of nuclear energy as the power source everyone wants—or wants to talk about.
Once built, large nuclear reactors can provide clean power for at least 80 years—outlasting 10 to 20 presidential administrations. Smaller reactors can provide heat and power outputs tailored to an end user’s needs. With all the new attention, are we any closer to getting past persistent supply chain and workforce issues and building these new plants? And what will the election of Donald Trump to a second term as president mean for nuclear?
As usual, there are more questions than answers, and most come down to money. Several developers are engaging with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or have already applied for a license, certification, or permit. But designs without paying customers won’t get built. So where are the customers, and what will it take for them to commit?
D. C. Witt, R. F. Bradley
Nuclear Technology | Volume 43 | Number 2 | April 1979 | Pages 244-258
Technical Paper | The Back End of the Light Water Reactor Fuel Cycle / Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A16315
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
One alternative for closing the nuclear fuel cycle is efficient, high decontamination separation of uranium and plutonium and fabrication of a Pu-U mixed-oxide fuel Detailed flowsheets were prepared by Savannah River Laboratory for a conceptual 10 MT/day reprocessing facility. The generation of liquid waste and the associated liquid waste handling facilities for the reprocessing plant were defined. Over 40 individual waste streams were identified. The reference facility generates 6.4 m3 (1700 gal) of high-level liquid waste (HLLW) per day, which is converted to 0.5 m3 (130 gal) of glass contained in three packages, each 0.3 m (12 in.) in diameter × 3 m (10 ft) high. Each operating day, the process converts 2.9 m3 (775 gal) of concentrated intermediate-level liquid waste (ILLW) to 4 m3 (1050 gal) of cemented solid in 21 carbon steel drums. Large-scale underground tank storage of liquid waste is eliminated by prompt solidification of the HLLW and ILLW. Each container of glass contains 30 kW nuclear decay heat and must be stored in water for an interim period prior to shipment to a federal repository.
