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
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ANS joins others in seeking to discuss SNF/HLW impasse
The American Nuclear Society joined seven other organizations to send a letter to Energy Secretary Christopher Wright on July 8, asking to meet with him to discuss “the restoration of a highly functioning program to meet DOE’s legal responsibility to manage and dispose of the nation’s commercial and legacy defense spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW).”
G. R. Kirkland, E. R. Davies, M. E. Lambert
Nuclear Technology | Volume 55 | Number 2 | November 1981 | Pages 470-478
Technical Paper | Materials | doi.org/10.13182/NT55-478
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During commissioning of the Dounreay prototype fast reactor steam generators in 1974, a steam-to-sodium leak occurred in the tube-to-tube-plate weld area in one of three superheaters. This caused caustic stress corrosion of the tube plate in the areas exposed to the products of the sodium-water reaction. Metallurgical examination of several welds revealed one manufacturing defect, which was due to reheat cracking. This was the likely cause of the initial steam-to-sodium leak that resulted in failure in several adjacent tubes due to caustic stress corrosion cracking. The holes in the tube plate where the welds had been cut out for examination were plugged by explosive welding techniques and the unit returned to service.