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Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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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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.
Bernhard Kienzler, Peter Vejmelka, Horst-Jürgen Herbert, Herbert Meyer, Corinna Altenhein-Haese
Nuclear Technology | Volume 129 | Number 1 | January 2000 | Pages 101-118
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3049
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experimental findings of full-scale leach tests performed on simulated cemented waste forms and self-shielded concrete waste containers for periods up to 19 yr in saturated salt brines (NaCl- and Q-brine) are presented. Measurements cover the evolution of leachant composition and the release of radionuclides such as Cs, U, and Np. Performance of the waste forms and the self-shielded concrete waste containers depends on the pore volume of the hardened cement/concrete, which is correlated to the water/cement ratio of the waste forms. Cesium release follows a linear time dependence. Samples, especially those having a high pore volume, show almost complete release of Cs in the period of investigation. Uranium release is independent of the leach period. Uranium concentrations are controlled by thermodynamic equilibrium. Neptunium is released only to a small extent; concentrations are close to the detection limit.Modeling of the cement corrosion progress allows the prediction of the evolution of the brines in terms of pH, calcium concentration, etc. and the identification of solids controlling the solubilities of the main components and of uranium.
