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
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
TerraPower begins U.K. regulatory approval process
Seattle-based TerraPower signaled its interest this week in building its Natrium small modular reactor in the United Kingdom, the company announced.
TerraPower sent a letter to the U.K.’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, formally establishing its intention to enter the U.K. generic design assessment (GDA) process. This is TerraPower’s first step in deployment of its Natrium technology—a 345-MW sodium fast reactor coupled with a molten salt energy storage unit—on the international stage.
Daniel K. Bond, Braden Goddard, Robert C. Singleterry, Jr., Sama Bilbao y León
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 8 | August 2020 | Pages 1120-1139
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1681221
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Materials have a primary purpose in the design of space vehicles, such as fuels, walls, racks, windows, etc. Additionally, each will also effect space radiation protection. The shielding capabilities of 39 materials and nine layering configurations are evaluated for deep space travel in terms of whole-body effective dose equivalent (ED). Polymer and composite materials are also evaluated in terms of . It is clear that a “magic” material or layering configuration is not possible; however, polymers and composites should be used instead of metals if they can serve their primary purpose. Polyethylene is shown to be the best feasible material from this material sample. Thermal neutron absorbers 6Li and 10B do not have a significant effect on ED as homogeneous shields or in layering configurations. Alloying of materials such as aluminum for strengthening purposes does not increase ED. Tanking liquid hydrogen within aluminum does significantly reduce ED when compared to aluminum. Ultimately, a space vehicle is a system of systems and radiation protection must be one of them.
