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
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
Meeting Spotlight
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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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Latest News
Article considers incorporation of AI into nuclear power plant operations
The potential application of artificial intelligence to the operation of nuclear power plants is explored in an article published in late December in the Washington Examiner. The article, written by energy and environment reporter Callie Patteson, presents the views of a number of experts, including Yavuz Arik, a strategic energy consultant.
Won-Jin Cho, Jae-Owan Lee, Pil-Soo Hahn, Kwan-Sik Chun
Nuclear Technology | Volume 116 | Number 1 | October 1996 | Pages 115-126
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35316
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Radionuclide release from an engineered barrier in a low- and intermediate-level waste repository is evaluated. The results of experimental studies conducted to determine the radionuclide diffusion coefficients and the hydraulic conductivities of calcium bentonite and crushed granite mixtures are presented. The hydraulic conductivity of the mixture is relatively low even at low dry density and clay content, and the principal mechanism of radionuclide migration through the mixture is diffusion. The measured values of apparent diffusion coefficients in calcium bentonite with a dry density of 1.4 Mg/m3 are of the order of 10-13 to 10-12 m2/s for cations and 10-11 m2/s for iodine. These values are similar to those in sodium bentonite. The radionuclide release rates from the engineered barrier composed of the concrete structure and the clay-based backfill were calculated. Carbon-14 and 99Tc are the important nuclides; however, their maximum release rates are <10-5 GBq/yr. To quantify the effect of uncertainties of input parameters on the radionuclide release rates, Latin Hypercube sampling was used, and the ranges of release rates were estimated statistically with a confidence level of 95%. The uncertainties of the assessment results of the radionuclide release rate are larger in the case of the sorbing nuclides such as 137Cs. Finally, the sensitivity of the input parameter to release rate is also evaluated.