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
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
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Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
Yeon Soo Kim, D. R. Olander, S. K. Yagnik
Nuclear Technology | Volume 128 | Number 3 | December 1999 | Pages 300-312
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT99-A3033
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
As a means of improving the gap-thermal conductance, a liquid metal (LM) is proposed as the gap-filling material replacing helium gas in the conventional light water reactor fuel rod. The potential application of the concept includes power reactor fuel rods, special-purpose test-reactor experimental rods, and mixed-oxide fuel rods. Novel fabrication methods to ensure a uniform LM-filled gap between the fuel and the cladding of minirods have been developed. The main concern was overcoming the large surface tension of an LM to eliminate LM-free spots in the gap. Compatibility tests of the LM with a Zircaloy tube have been conducted. Liquid gallium showed excessive reaction with Zircaloy at 350°C for a month. Liquid Bi-Sn-Pb alloy, on the other hand, showed a nearly negligible reaction with Zircaloy under the same conditions. Thermal superiority of the LM-bonded gap over a conventional helium-gas gap in a miniature fuel rod was confirmed through theoretical calculations and experimental measurements. The experiments involved water-quenching the element from 600°C and measuring the decrease of the fuel centerline temperature. The LM-bonded element reached 100°C in 10 s, while the gas-bonded element required nearly 100 s to attain this temperature.