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
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jan 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2025
Nuclear Technology
January 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Uranium spot price closes out 2024 at $72.63/lb
The uranium market closed out 2024 with a spot price of $72.63 per pound and a long-term price of $80.50 per pound, according to global uranium provider Cameco.
A. Poulesquen, C. Jégou
Nuclear Technology | Volume 160 | Number 3 | December 2007 | Pages 337-345
Technical Paper | Materials for Nuclear Systems | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3904
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A combined transport and radiolysis model is proposed in this paper to predict the oxidation/dissolution of UO2 under alpha radiolysis of water. The UO2-water interface is divided into an arbitrary number of layers. The Chemsimul kinetic code is used for radiolysis calculations in each layer, and the modeling of transport between the layers is based on Fick's law. The calculation proceeds in an iterative way, and an alpha dose rate profile is taken into account as input data. To limit the calculation time, which depends on the computer capacity and the duration of the leaching experiment described, a compromise between the thickness and the number of cells has to be found. At present, simulations of leaching experiments lasting several days cannot be carried out because of the very long calculation time. However, the calculation has been compared with experimental results obtained under irradiation at high flux levels of a UO2-water interface subjected to a beam of He2+ particles generated by a cyclotron. Owing to computer time limitation, calculations are carried out by considering 200 layers, each 10 m thick, to simulate 1-h experiments. In the experimental geometry (monoenergetic linear alpha beam), the alpha dose rate profile is well described by a summation of Bragg curves. The comparison relates to experiments performed in aerated and deaerated media at a high flux of 3.3 × 1010 cm-2s-1 and 3.3 × 1011 cm-2s-1. The calculated uranium content in solution is three times lower than the experimental value, and the hydrogen peroxide concentration is ten times lower in aerated media. In deaerated media, however, the comparison is quite good. Finally, a calculation was carried out with a large imposed dissolved hydrogen concentration in solution to check the inhibition of matrix dissolution. The release of uranium in solution is relatively high despite the hydrogen concentration in solution because of the primary formation of hydrogen peroxide. This is probably because of a lack of knowledge concerning the inhibitor mechanism under alpha radiolysis (influence of the surface under alpha irradiation, hydrogen activation, validity of primary radiolytic yield in presence of H2, etc.), which is not taken into account in our calculations.