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Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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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Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
J. Mazeika, R. Petrosius, V. Jakimaviciute-Maseliene, D. Baltrunas, K. Mazeika, V. Remeikis, T. Sullivan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 161 | Number 2 | February 2008 | Pages 156-168
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3920
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The paper presents the long-term safety assessment of the Maisiagala radioactive waste repository (Lithuania) using the advanced computer codes DUST, FEFLOW, and AMBER. The software DUST was employed for calculations of the one-dimensional leaching flux of radionuclides from the repository vault and subsequent transport in the unsaturated zone. Using the mass flux of radionuclides calculated in DUST as a source to the aquifer, the software FEFLOW was used for two-dimensional assessment of activity concentrations of radionuclides in groundwater. Using the groundwater concentrations calculated in FEFLOW, the code AMBER was used to calculate the dose over time at four hypothetical wells downstream from the repository. The well distances ranged from 150 to 1600 m.When the hypothetical drinking water well is installed 150 m from the repository (close to the outside perimeter of the controlled area), the highest effective doses will arise from 3H, 36Cl, and 239Pu. The doses determined by 3H and 36Cl may exceed a dose limit of 1 mSv/yr for 50 to 230 yr after the closure of the facility (1989). The dose of 239Pu will remain almost constant for >60 000 yr after the closure, yet it will not exceed the dose limit value. According to previous studies, the intrusion scenario is much more critical compared to the groundwater exposure pathway in the case of 239Pu (as well as 226Ra).
