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
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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
Dec 2025
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
January 2026
Nuclear Technology
December 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
November 2025
Latest News
What’s the most difficult question you’ve been asked as a maintenance instructor?
Blye Widmar
"Where are the prints?!"
This was the final question in an onslaught of verbal feedback, comments, and critiques I received from my students back in 2019. I had two years of instructor experience and was teaching a class that had been meticulously rehearsed in preparation for an accreditation visit. I knew the training material well and transferred that knowledge effectively enough for all the students to pass the class. As we wrapped up, I asked the students how they felt about my first big system-level class, and they did not hold back.
“Why was the exam from memory when we don’t work from memory in the plant?” “Why didn’t we refer to the vendor documents?” “Why didn’t we practice more on the mock-up?” And so on.
Hiroshi Sugai, Kenzo Munakata
Nuclear Technology | Volume 99 | Number 2 | August 1992 | Pages 235-241
Technical Paper | Enrichment and Reprocessing System | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34693
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In solvent extraction for nuclear fuel reprocessing, a stable emulsion called “crud” is formed at the interface between the organic and aqueous phases. Crud is an emulsion stabilized by finely dispersed solids. Process disturbances are often induced by crud. Accordingly, crud should be eliminated from the interface in the extractors. The eliminated crud is stable and highly radioactive; thus, the treatment of this crud may be difficult. Complexes of zirconium and tributyl phosphate (TBP) degradation products, such as phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and mono-n-butyl phosphate (H2MBP), are one source of the fine particles that stabilize emulsions in the extraction process. A chemical treatment method to demulsify crud stabilized by precipitates of Zr-H3PO4 and Zr-H2MBP is studied. Experimental results indicate that neutralization by an alkaline solution, particularly sodium carbonate, is very effective for the destruction of this crud.
