ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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
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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.
Robert E. Einziger, James A. Cook
Nuclear Technology | Volume 69 | Number 1 | April 1985 | Pages 55-71
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel | doi.org/10.13182/NT85-A33595
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A whole-rod test was conducted at 229 °C to investigate the long-term stability of light water reactor spent fuel rods with artificially induced defects stored in inert and unlimited air atmospheres. Both boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor (PWR) rods were tested. After 2235 h, visual observations, diametral measurements, and radiographic smears were used to assess the degree of cladding deformation and particulate release. The same examinations plus metallography and x-ray analysis were conducted after 5962 h. Neither of the breached rods tested in inert atmosphere, nor the breached PWR rod tested in unlimited air, showed any measurable change from the pretest condition. The upper defect on the BWR rod tested in unlimited air had a 12.7-mm split after 2235 h and had 10% cladding deformation. The crack grew to 63.5 mm after 5962 h. X-ray analysis indicated that the UO2 had oxidized to U3O8 at this defect. The difference in the behavior of the upper and lower defects is attributed to the accessibility of the air to the fuel due to the positioning of the defect with relation to the pellet/pellet interface.
