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
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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
Sep 2024
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
November 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
October 2024
Latest News
Bipartisan nuclear waste bill introduced in U.S. House
U.S. representatives Mike Levin (D., Calif.) and August Pfluger (R., Texas) have introduced the bipartisan Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2024, which would establish an independent agency to manage the country’s nuclear waste.
In addition to establishing a new, single-purpose administration to manage the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, the bill would direct a consent-based siting process for nuclear waste facilities and ensure reliable funding for managing nuclear waste by providing access to the Nuclear Waste Fund. According to Pfluger and Levin, the bill’s provisions are in line with recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.
Harald Zänker
Nuclear Technology | Volume 86 | Number 3 | September 1989 | Pages 239-247
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A34292
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Periods of continuously decreasing levels of fuel rod integrity due to debris-induced cladding damage, vibration-induced fretting wear of the cladding, etc., cause difficulties in the assessment of fuel rod performance from coolant activity data. The calculational models currently in use for this purpose in nuclear power plants are not sufficiently capable of indicating cases in which they are invalid. This can mislead reactor operators by misinterpretation of the coolant activity data, especially in situations where fast reactions are necessary. A quick test of validity is suggested to check the applicability of the currently available calculational models for estimating the number and average size of fuel rod defects. The criteria of applicability are the fission product total activity, the slope tanα in the relationship Ig(Ri/Bi) = tanαlg λi for the volatile fission product isotopes, and the activity of nonvolatile nuclides such as 239Np and the isotopes of ruthenium and cerium. The objective is to recognize immediately periods of continuously decreasing levels of fuel rod integrity in order to prevent complications in routine power plant maintenance as well as accident situations caused by more severe fuel rod degradation.