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Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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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The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
Yuji Fukaya, Shohei Ueta, Tomohiko Yamamoto, Yoshitaka Chikazawa, Xing L. Yan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 2 | February 2022 | Pages 335-346
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.1901001
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
When total volume control is applied to toxicity in nuclear waste management it becomes a limiting factor for the permittable total operating capacity of nuclear reactors. An alternative conceptual scenario is proposed, aimed at toxicity reduction through partitioning and transmutation. Specifically, the electricity generation capacity could be increased by transmutation of 90Sr and 137Cs. Simultaneously, the cooling time before disposal is reduced to 50 years from the 300 years required by existing scenarios, such as the accelerator-driven system. Finally, the scenario is also found to be feasible in terms of energy balance and cost, using an Li(d,xn) reaction neutron source with a deuteron accelerator for transmutation.