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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Inkjet droplets of radioactive material enable quick, precise testing at NIST
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a technique called cryogenic decay energy spectrometry capable of detecting single radioactive decay events from tiny material samples and simultaneously identifying the atoms involved. In time, the technology could replace characterization tasks that have taken months and could support rapid, accurate radiopharmaceutical development and used nuclear fuel recycling, according to an article published on July 8 by NIST.
Richard Simms, Gerald E. Marsh, Alan B. Rothman, George S. Stanford
Nuclear Technology | Volume 52 | Number 3 | March 1981 | Pages 331-341
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT81-A32707
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In Transient Reactor Test Facility tests L6 and L7, a loss-of-flow accident sequence was simulated using three fuel elements containing (Pu, U)O2. The test fuel had been previously irradiated at 36 kW/m in a thermal-neutron spectrum in the General Electric Test Reactor to 3 at.% burnup. Fuel dispersal rates at 10 and 20 times nominal power were measured using the 1.2-m fast neutron hodoscope. The measured axial fuel density variations were weighted with typical liquid-metal fast breeder reactor fuel-worth distributions so that the significance of the fuel motion could be assessed. Fuel dispersal rates equivalent to 60¢/s per dollar were observed in test L7. The dispersal rate for test L6 was ∼20¢/s per dollar. The dispersive fuel motion in test L7 could have been augmented by fuel vapor pressures. The experimental fuel-worth changes were also compared with the fuel-worth changes computed by fuel motion models SLUMPY and LEVITATE. Of the two models, LEVITATE provided better agreement with the equivalent fuel-worth changes in test L7.
