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
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2025
Nuclear Technology
January 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
NRC issues subsequent license renewal to Monticello plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed for a second time the operating license for Unit 1 of Minnesota’s Monticello nuclear power plant.
Hugues W. Bonin, Ian Miedema, Van Tam Bui
Nuclear Technology | Volume 164 | Number 2 | November 2008 | Pages 286-304
Technical Paper | Materials for Nuclear Systems | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A4027
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In Canada, the spent nuclear fuel disposal method proposed is to permanently isolate the spent fuel in deep underground vaults carved in stable granite rock formations within the Canadian Shield, with the integrity of the isolation to be assured for a minimum period of 500 yr. The present work aims at determining the feasibility of using a consolidated composite material made of an advanced polymer called PEEK (Poly Ether Ether Ketone) and continuous graphite fiber to fabricate a container designed to isolate the spent nuclear fuel from the biosphere for such very long time periods. The research focused on submitting the PEEK-based composite material to a thermal and radioactive environment comparable to, and, in some aspects, more aggressive than, the conditions of exposure in the disposal vault. The changes to the physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of the material following prolonged exposure were then determined. The simulation of the environment was achieved by irradiating numerous test specimens in a mixed radiation field produced by a SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear research reactor at controlled ambient temperatures ranging from ~20 to 75°C. The specimens were characterized via several methods: tensile and flexural testing, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and wide-angle X-ray scattering. The results confirmed that the PEEK-based composite material was resistant to exposure to high radiation doses (1 MGy), at temperatures between ~20 and 75°C. The mechanical and other properties were barely affected, with values rarely exceeding 1 of the properties of nonirradiated samples, suggesting that the PEEK-graphite fiber composite material can indeed be considered as a very good candidate for this demanding application.