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
Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
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?
Joseph A. Angelo, Jr., Roy G. Post
Nuclear Technology | Volume 24 | Number 3 | December 1974 | Pages 323-330
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste | doi.org/10.13182/NT74-A31494
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The heat generated by spent fuel elements and typical processing waste from both a 1000 MW(e) reference design pressurized water reactor (PWR) and 1160 MW(e) reference design high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) were calculated for times up to 1000 years. To compensate for differences in exposure, the heat generated was expressed in terms of watts of heat generated per megawatt day of exposure. Examination of both tabular data and graphical presentations of these normalized heat generation data indicates noticeable differences in the contribution of different isotopes for each system. As anticipated, the heat generation for each fuel was greatly influenced by the transmuted isotopes 233Pa and 238Pu for the HTGR with 137Cs and 90Sr for the PWR. Data provide quantitative detailed information on the thermal power output of typical processing waste for both reactor systems for the first millennium of cooling.
