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
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2025
Nuclear Technology
April 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Norway’s Halden reactor takes first step toward decommissioning
The government of Norway has granted the transfer of the Halden research reactor from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) to the state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND). The 25-MWt Halden boiling water reactor operated from 1958 to 2018 and was used in the research of nuclear fuel, reactor internals, plant procedures and monitoring, and human factors.
Fanny Jallu, Alain Mariani, Christian Passard, Anne-Cecile Raoux, Herve Toubon
Nuclear Technology | Volume 153 | Number 1 | January 2006 | Pages 107-115
Technical Note | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT06-A3693
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The PROMpt, Epithermal and THErmal interrogation Experiment, version 6 (1996) (PROMETHEE 6) assay system for alpha-particle low-level waste characterization, developed for research and development purposes, includes both passive and active neutron measurement methods. Developed at the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Cadarache Centre, in cooperation with COGEMA, its aim is to reach the incinerating alpha-particle waste requirements (<50 Bq[]/g of crude waste, i.e., ~50 g of Pu per drum) in 118-l "European" drums (460 mm in diameter and 750 mm high). Good preliminary results were presented: detection limits of ~0.12 mg of effective 239Pu in total active neutron counting and 0.08 mg of effective 239Pu in coincident active neutron counting [empty cavity, measurement time of 15 min, neutron generator emission of 1.6 × 108 s-1 (4)]. Those results are improved with the use of a higher neutron source emission [GENIE 36 generator, neutron emission of 2.4 × 109 s-1 (4)] and working on the configuration of the detector units. In the total counting mode, the gain is a factor of ~4 in a cellulose matrix and 3.1 in a polyvinyl chloride matrix. In the coincidence counting mode, these factors are 1.8 and 1.7, respectively. After a very short description of PROMETHEE 6, this paper presents the last and best performances that were obtained with the increased neutron source. Studies on the detection limit variations with the use of borated shields in front of the detection units and around the neutron generator also are dealt with.
