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
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.
F. S. Gunnerson, A. W. Cronenberg
Nuclear Technology | Volume 49 | Number 3 | August 1980 | Pages 380-391
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT49-380
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An initial period of film boiling has been identified as a key element in the chain of events leading to a large-scale vapor explosion. From theoretical considerations, the conditions required for molten UO2 particles (assumed spherical) to undergo film boiling in water and sodium coolants are assessed. Results indicate that under most conditions when UO2 droplets are quenched in water or sodium, film boiling is expected, indicating that such systems could satisfy the initial coarse mixture requirement for explosive vaporization. In addition, it is shown that experimental vapor explosion results that have been interpreted in terms of spontaneous nucleation theory may likewise be viewed in terms of film boiling destablization.
