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
Education, Training & Workforce Development
The Education, Training & Workforce Development Division provides communication among the academic, industrial, and governmental communities through the exchange of views and information on matters related to education, training and workforce development in nuclear and radiological science, engineering, and technology. Industry leaders, education and training professionals, and interested students work together through Society-sponsored meetings and publications, to enrich their professional development, to educate the general public, and to advance nuclear and radiological science and engineering.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ARPA-E announces $40 million to develop transmutation technologies for UNF
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel into less-radioactive substances. According to ARPA-E, the new initiative addresses one of the agency’s core goals as outlined by Congress: to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
Alberto D. Mendoza España, Megan Moore, Ashlea V. Colton, Blair P. Bromley
Nuclear Technology | Volume 202 | Number 1 | April 2018 | Pages 39-52
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2018.1424431
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The fueling unit energy cost of various thorium-based fuels and uranium-based fuels augmented by small amounts of thorium in a pressure tube heavy water reactor (PT-HWR) are assessed building upon previous studies. The results suggests that fuel concepts using slightly enriched uranium augmented by thorium and thorium mixed with low-enriched uranium can be cost competitive and have the greatest potential for near-term implementation in PT-HWRs. Thorium-based fuels that contain small amounts of recycled plutonium or 233U will require more effort to identify and develop technologies to reduce the costs of reprocessing and fabrication for these fuels. However, as an alternative nuclear fuel for reliable and sustainable low-carbon electrical energy generation, all thorium-based fuels are competitive for both short-term and long-term implementation.