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
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
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.
R. W. Ostensen, W. F. Murphy, B. J. Wrona, L. W. Deitrich, J. C. Florek
Nuclear Technology | Volume 36 | Number 2 | December 1977 | Pages 200-214
Technical Paper | International Safeguard / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT77-A31927
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In a transient-undercooling accident in a liquid-metal fast breeder reactor with a small sodium void coefficient, steel cladding melts prior to disruption of the oxide fuel pellets. If molten steel could wet the fuel and penetrate into the interior of the fuel pin through the surface cracks, steel vapor pressure could cause an early breakup and possibly a dispersal of the fuel. The wetting and capillary properties of molten steel in contact with solid oxide fuel have been examined. Based on available indirect in-pile and out-of-pile experimental results, the known surface properties of steel and UO2, the behavior of similar materials, and direct experiments on steel-UO2 wetting properties, it is concluded that in an accident situation, molten Type 316 stainless steel will not wet oxide fuel at temperatures below the point of disruption of the fuel. Steel intrusions in the fuel will have no significant impact on the accident sequence.
