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Division Spotlight
Fuel Cycle & Waste Management
Devoted to all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle including waste management, worldwide. Division specific areas of interest and involvement include uranium conversion and enrichment; fuel fabrication, management (in-core and ex-core) and recycle; transportation; safeguards; high-level, low-level and mixed waste management and disposal; public policy and program management; decontamination and decommissioning environmental restoration; and excess weapons materials disposition.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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
September 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2024
Latest News
Nuclear new build procurement considerations
It may seem counterintuitive, but the best time to enhance the ability to support operations and maintenance for a new plant is before construction starts. This is one of many lessons learned by the currently operating nuclear fleet. As construction and startup of many nuclear facilities was completed, it quickly became evident that the ability to efficiently support operations and maintenance was limited. Most of the information necessary to establish and manage procurement of spare and replacement items, maintenance, and configuration of the facilities was unavailable and had to be gathered on a case-by-case, “on-demand” basis. Absence of necessary information and the associated challenges resulted in the need for staff augmentation and multiyear-long projects to develop equipment bills of material and maintenance programs and to perform technical evaluations for the huge quantities of spare and replacement items being requested.
Susan S. Voss
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 8 | August 2020 | Pages 1097-1108
Critical Review | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1706378
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Nuclear material nonproliferation and security issues have taken on even greater importance within the United States and internationally since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990s and after the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. Leadership in the United States has made weapons nuclear material security and nuclear material elimination and/or reduction a high national priority. For future National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions, the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in space nuclear reactors and propulsion systems may be enabling for certain missions, and therefore, it is important that it remain an available option within the context of U.S. nonproliferation policy. This critical review provides an overview of U.S. nonproliferation policy on the use of HEU in nuclear reactor systems for the three primary users of HEU: U.S. Navy, domestic and international civilian research and test reactors, and future NASA missions. In general, U.S. nonproliferation policy is based on a risk versus benefits approach. Nuclear security is a key aspect of nuclear nonproliferation and within the field of space nuclear reactors. Nuclear security requirements and implementation procedures are well established for all phases of nuclear design, manufacturing, transportation, and testing programs. The only time that nuclear material may be outside of direct physical control and security would be during operation in deep space or a planetary surface mission or due to an accidental reentry of a space nuclear reactor during launch or postoperation from low earth orbit. Safety and security options for accidental low-probability reentry events are discussed.