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
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
February 2025
Latest News
Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Robert D. Holmes, Gary W. Frank
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 2 | October 1989 | Pages 545-552
Technical Paper | TMI-2: Health Physics and Environmental Release / Technique | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27751
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Recovery, defueling, and restoration of Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) to an environmentally stable configuration has been a labor-intensive effort that had to be conducted in complex radiological conditions of varying field intensities. Part of the success of the TMI-2 Radiological Controls Program in minimizing worker exposure can be attributed to the effective use of a variety of portable instruments. Systematic surveys were conducted to quantify general radiation fields, locate hot spots, and establish surface contamination levels and airborne concentrations of radionuclides. Detailed and accurate radiological surveys and field measurements are essential to as low as reasonably achievable reviews, radiation work permit specifications for protective measures, and job briefings. Radiological instruments used at TMI-2 include a variety of devices capable of assessing radiation fields from sealed sources, contaminated surfaces, and airborne radioactivity. A major effort in the recovery process was the systematic characterization of contamination levels throughout the reactor and auxiliary buildings. At TMI-2, a fast sorting measurement technique was developed to identify and prioritize surfaces for exposure reduction and to rapidly evaluate effectiveness of decontamination efforts. Standard vendor-supplied instruments such as the Eberline HP-220-A and the RO-7 had to be modified in their respective directional sensitivity. Decontamination techniques also required extensive monitoring for airborne levels of various radionuclides. Area air samples and breathing zone air samplers were used extensively to assess for potentially respirable radioactivity. To optimize detection of personnel skin and clothing contamination, pancake probe friskers were largely replaced or supplemented by automated personnel contamination monitors. At TMI-2, the maintenance and calibration of radiological instruments are conducted on-site by a group of qualified technicians who are an integral part of the Radiological Controls Division. All calibration and repair are subject to a variety of audits, inspections, and internal and external assessments. Quality assurance auditors routinely verify compliance with station procedures, ensure that primary instruments are sent to accredited laboratories for calibration, and certify that calibration sources are traceable to the National Bureau of Standards.
