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
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2025
Nuclear Technology
April 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Norway’s Halden reactor takes first step toward decommissioning
The government of Norway has granted the transfer of the Halden research reactor from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) to the state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND). The 25-MWt Halden boiling water reactor operated from 1958 to 2018 and was used in the research of nuclear fuel, reactor internals, plant procedures and monitoring, and human factors.
Goodluck I. Ofoegbu, Scott Painter, Rui Chen, Randall W. Fedors, David A. Ferrill
Nuclear Technology | Volume 134 | Number 3 | June 2001 | Pages 241-262
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT01-A3199
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The percolation flux through the unsaturated zone at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository for high-level nuclear waste can potentially affect (a) the occurrence and magnitude of water influx into the emplacement drifts, (b) the onset and rates of waste-package corrosion, (c) the mobilization of waste into aqueous states, and (d) the transport of radionuclides to the saturated zone. The magnitude and spatial and temporal variations of percolation flux depend on the infiltration rate but may be significantly influenced by (a) lateral diversion of flow at stratigraphic interfaces between nonwelded and welded tuffs above the repository horizon, (b) focusing of flow within or near steeply dipping fault zones, and (c) lateral diversion of flow within thermal-mechanical altered zones. Results from numerical modeling are presented to argue that (a) areas of the repository located close to and on the up-dip side of faults that intersect the Paintbrush nonwelded Tuff (PTn) would experience elevated percolation flux, irrespective of whether the faults act as flow barriers or conduits; (b) mechanical response of the rock mass to waste-generated heat will likely cause the development of laterally discontinuous zones characterized by dilation of horizontal fractures and net dilation or closure of vertical fractures; (c) areas of the repository located on the downstream side of the thermal-mechanical altered zones would experience elevated percolation flux; and (d) repository areas subjected to elevated percolation flux would experience faster rewetting of dryout zones and, thus, longer periods of wetness and elevated humidity. These results indicate that models used to predict the occurrence and magnitudes of water influx into emplacement drifts and the variations of relative humidity within the drifts need to consider the location of the drifts relative to faults that intersect the PTn and the development, geometry, and hydrological characteristics of thermal-mechanical altered zones.